The 7th Hymn of Tiresias
by Darth Breezy
Summary: Finally added to Fan - takes place after And Vega Lights my Way. Luke, Aube and family
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Love is not blind - it sees more, not less.  
But because it sees more, it is willing to see less. –  
Rabbi Julius Gordon_

**

_Luke! Luke! Come down for first meal before mid-day meal!_

Aunt Beru?

No… Beru and Owen were long gone.

What…

When Luke awoke, he was alone again, but not at the homestead.

_I'm on Corellia, alone in Aubé's bed,_ Luke thought to himself ruefully. _Well, not completely alone._

A pair of startlingly blue eyes peered at him shyly from the door way. "My Gra-mere said to see if you were awake," Pemberian said quietly. She rocked back and forth on her heels expectantly, and then with a burst of energy asked, "Are you? Gra-mere wants to know if you'd like some first meal? She made loads of good things!"

Luke pulled the blanket over himself, suddenly very conscious of the fact that he was completely undressed. "Yes… yes I would… Thank you. Where's your mother, Pem?"

"Ma-mere went with Nay-pa to help Kay-Kay this morning," she giggled. "Kay-Kay promised that I could have his award for my room because he doesn't want it! Come to first meal soon!" and with those cryptic parting words, Pemberian was away and down the stairs, a virtual blur of curls and the bright blue of her tunic.

Luke sighed and slowly climbed out of bed. To his surprise, he found, instead of his own clothing, a tunic and vest and leggings in soft shades of blue. His lightsaber and belt rested neatly folded next to them.

Local clothing.

Before Luke could really contemplate the meaning behind all of the morning's revelations, the warm smells of home cooking drifted invitingly to his nose, and he decided that his questions could wait – at least until after first meal.

Feeling refreshed and clean, Luke followed the scents and sounds of laughter to a small room overlooking a garden.

"Good morning Luke," Kampher said warmly, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. "I take you slept well?" Kam's hair was dressed in a simple plait, the white cascading into the dark brown that Luke remembered from the first time they had met. It rested easily on the green of her tunic and looking at her, Luke thought of spring with the snow receding from the mountain side.

"Do you like shurra fruit, Pay-pa Luke?" Pem asked over a mouthful of her own, earning a stern glance from Kam. She swallowed and continued, unabashed. "My Nay-pa says it's his favorite!"

Luke took the proffered seat across from Pem, and promptly found a large plate with a generous assortment of fruit and meats in front of him. After pouring him a cup of caf, Kampher sat down to a much smaller meal of her own. On seeing the meat on his plate, Pem wrinkled her nose.

"Nay-pa doesn't like that," she said decisively, and then brightened. "But Ma-mere does!"

"I seem to have missed her this morning," Luke replied gently, more so to Kampher than Pem. "She seems to be a very busy woman…"

"She is," Kampher agreed, sipping on her caf. "I don't think we'll see her until tonight at the presentation. "There's so much to do." She turned to Luke with a smile. "I'm afraid it's just you and me and Pemberian this afternoon. I hope you don't mind."

"Can we take Pay-pa Luke to Treasure Ship row?" Pem asked excitedly. "I want to show him my favorite sweet stall!"

"Only if you promise to be good and not ask for too much, Pem," Kampher replied. "And if you're finished with first meal, I want you to go do your lessons. I need to talk to Luke."

"Yes Gra-mere," Pem said after taking a last swallow of juice. She jumped off of her chair, and threw herself into Luke's arms. "Pay-pa Luke, you're staying with us now, aren't you?"

Luke held his daughter close. "I'm always with you Pem," he murmured softly. "Even when I'm halfway across the Galaxy."

This seemed to be a satisfactory answer for her, and with a quick kiss on his cheek, Pemberian disappeared into the house.

As soon as she had gone, Luke turned to face Kampher, who wore an expression of expectation.

"Why didn't she tell me, Master Kam?" he asked her softly. "Why didn't any of you?"

Kampher arched a delicate eyebrow. "Didn't you ask Aubé last night?"

Luke tried to repress the color that was rising to his cheeks, but he didn't drop his eyes. He didn't want to tell her that almost as soon as they had put Pemberian to bed, their priorities had been decidedly on _other things._ Indeed, what little conversation they had managed had lost focus as quickly as the clothing had fallen away. To his relief, however, Kampher didn't belabor the issue.

"What would you have done, Luke?" Kampher asked him softly. "What would have happened if you _had_ found out about your daughter?"

"I would have come…"

"And left everything behind," Kampher finished for him gently. "You would have done anything for your child, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Luke replied just as softly, understanding dawned on his face. "But…"

"But it was right," Kam interrupted him, taking his hands in hers. "Pemberian has grown up with the full knowledge of her father and her heritage… at least that of being a Jedi…"

"But she doesn't know _me_," Luke sighed wistfully, casting his eyes in the direction his daughter had run. "She has no idea who I really am."

Kampher rose with Luke's hands still tightly linked in her own. "Then it's time for you to show her, Master Skywalker," her gentle smile became a grin. "Or perhaps I should call you '_Pay-pa_' "


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2  
**  
_Waste not fresh tears over old griefs. – Euripides_

"Bé," Kay'leb sighed as his sister ran a brush though his long hair. "I think its fine. In fact, I'm sure it _is_ fine." He grinned rakishly. "Besides, likely as not, Toa will have it messed up again before tonight."

"I don't care," Aubé replied, continuing to brush. "If your companion- come- Apprentice Healer…"

"Comes often…" Kay'leb quipped, earning a slap on the shoulder.

Aubé didn't miss a beat"…if Toa messes up your hair before tonight, he can re-do it for you."

Kay'leb caught her hand mid-stroke. Gently removing the brush, he brought her hand to his cheek. "Dear sister, why aren't you home with your Jedi? Pappa and Toa and I can manage just fine without you. And stop pursing your lips. It makes you look sour."

Aubé stuck out her tongue and blew loudly in his ear. "Better?"

With lightning speed, Aubé found herself whipped unceremoniously into Kay'leb's lap, her shirt pushed up exposing her belly. Kay'leb began to rub her stomach furiously.

"Hmm, no little light yet, sister of mine. I'll have to tell Luke to try harder."

"Kay'leb Canaille, you'll do no such thing!" Aubé squealed indignantly. "I have no intention of having another child for a long time… and I've made sure of that!"

"Maybe I'll replace your _insurance _with jubba berry juice."

Aubé sat up on Kay'leb's lap, horrified. "You wouldn't dare!"

Kay'leb pulled his sister into a hug. "Of course not dear sister, but I don't see what you're afraid of."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Aubé snapped. "I just thought that Luke should get to know his daughter, that's all."

"She's with mother…" Kay'leb murmured in her ear, but Aubé didn't answer. "Bé…" Kay'leb prompted her gently.

Aubé sighed. "All right," she admitted, "Even though I _knew_ he was coming, and I _knew_ that he would find out about Pem…"

"And you _know_that not all my visions are literal… I'm not an oracle Bé. Sometimes I see things and interpret them wrong"

"I don't want to talk about it, Kay," Aubé said sadly, twining a lock of his hair between her fingers.

"_And_ you're forgetting that I _also_ told you that I might be mistaken…" Now Kay'leb took it in turn to interrupt her. "I always tell you that these things can be subjective – or symbolic." Suddenly, he cocked his head towards the door. "I can hear Pappa coming."

Aubé slid off his lap, snorting as Kay'leb rubbed the top of her head. "I'll ask him if he's seen Toa."

"No need, Bé," Kay'leb grinned. "Toa is with him." He grimaced and stretched his legs. "I guess it's time for another treatment."

"Are you going to be all right, Kay?" Aubé asked anxiously. "Is there anything I can do?"

The door opened and their father Schurke entered, accompanied by a tall, blond young man with striking green eyes.

"You can make your father walk a few more rounds around the center," the blond man said jovially. "And tell him to stop leaning on the staff like it's his third leg."

Schurke waved the ornate walking stick menacingly and growled. "If you wouldn't insist on calling a lightspeed dash a _walk_…"

"Hello Pappa," Aubé smiled. "Hello Toa. Have you come to abuse my brother some more?"

Toa kissed Aubé lightly on the cheek. "Only because he loves it so, my lovely Bé"  
His arm delicately encircled her waist. "I can take care of _you_ later, if you'd like…" he whispered, nibbling on her ear.

"Maybe another time, Toa," Aubé sighed, squeezing him back. She ran a delicate finger down his belly, making him jump.

"No fair _little girl_," he murmured, catching her hand and lightly putting her forefinger between his lips. "I have work to do."

Aubé grinned and tapped his nose lightly as they changed places. She took her father's arm while Toa circled around and began to massage Kay'leb's shoulders. Kay'leb only groaned his acknowledgement as his head slumped to his chest.

Taking this as a cue to leave, Aubé gently pulled on her father's arm. "Come on Pappa," she said. "We'll go one round and have a drink in the bar."

Luke, Kampher, and Pemberian had spent the better part of the day doing things that families do. They went to the park and took midday-meal there, and at Pemberian's wish, spent part of the afternoon at the market. The sweets stall was overflowing with delights of many worlds, and the three of them left the market with pockets overflowing.

When they returned to the Canaille home, Luke put his daughter down for her short mid-day rest. She went with only a minimum of protest, much to his relief. After he had kissed her forehead, and was sure she was asleep, he went to join Kampher in the sitting room. He found her already waiting for him with a pot of caf sitting on the small end table.

"Well, Luke," she said, pouring him a cup and handing it to him then taking one for herself. "What shall we talk about today?"

Luke chuckled as he took the proffered cup. "Master Canaille," he laughed. "You act as if we just spoke yesterday."

Kampher smiled wryly back. "In the greater scheme of things, we did."

"Yes, I know," Luke chuckled again, and then his tone and demeanor changed as he looked about the room. "But it was so long ago." He trailed off, apparently lost in thought.

"Luke, you'll see Aubé tonight," Kam said gently. "And I guess I won't need to put a cot in Pem's bedroom after all, even though Kay'leb will probably be coming home tonight. Unless…" Her eyes sparkled with bemusement as for the second time that day, Luke's cheeks colored. He didn't think he would _ever_ get used to the openness of the Canaille household.

"I wish my son wouldn't work so hard," Kampher sighed, gracefully changing the subject. "Aubé and Schurke do as much as they can for him when he's here, but my son is notoriously stubborn, always wants to do things himself."

"We all have our duties, Master Canaille. Your son's contributions are known through out the New Republic."

Kampher laughed, her mood lightening considerably. "I'm surprised you've heard, considering how busy you are _Master Luke _!"

"Too busy," Luke agreed with some regret. "In fact, I need to prepare the speech I'm supposed to give tonight at Kay'leb's award presentation. I really don't really do well with them. Leia's the speech maker in our family, not me." He smiled ruefully, eliciting a fresh burst of laughter from Kampher.

"No matter, Luke," she said, once again taking his hands in her own. "Pemberian and I will be here, watching you on the holo-net and cheering you on."

"You're not going?"

Kampher shook her head. "The rest of the family will be too busy to pay attention to her there really, and what with all the sweets you gave her this afternoon…"

Luke lowered his face, feigning shame. "How could I resist such charms? And at least I brought home enough to hopefully appease her mother."

Kampher gently cupped Luke's chin in her hand, raising his eyes to meet her own. "Still trying to make up for imagined sins Luke?" She asked.

"Lost time, more like it," Luke admitted. "I feel like… like I let her down…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. – Alex Haley_

***

Although Luke arrived at the civil center early hoping to find Aubé, as soon as he passed through the doors he found himself pulled into a small circle of other representatives from the Republic, and the ever present Holo-net news crews.

"Master Skywalker! Master Skywalker!" A spiny headed Rodian's synthesized voice crackled through his translator. "How do you feel about the fact that the New Republic has failed in its negotiations with –"

"The public doesn't care about _Republic negotiations_!" A green skinned Twi'lek reporter who was pushing her way past the Rodian groaned.

"Master Skywalker, what about the rumor that you have sired a small brood of half-lings on Marngar –3?"

Luke was completely taken aback. "What? I mean, of course not!"  
"Oh! It was a _large_ brood then?" she asked acidly. "So, Luke… have you stopped planet bouncing then? Leaving little potential Jedi in your wake?"

"No! I mean of course… I mean…" Suddenly, Luke felt a firm but familiar presence grasping his arm.

"What _Master Skywalker_ means," Schurke's voice growled softly, yet audibly enough to cut through the din. "Is that he will _not_ be participating in any more of your swamp slug feeding frenzy! He is expected to give his speech in less than an hour and needs time to… to… to hell with it!" Schurke snapped. Raising his walking staff slightly, and his voice lowering in timbre, he said, "You will excuse us; we have more important places to be…"

"We will excuse you…" the crowd of reporters repeated mechanically. "You have more important places to be."

Seeing the mixed look of relief and amusement on Luke's face, Schurke offered him his free arm. "Master Skywalker, if you would be so kind to follow me, I can take you to a place where you won't be disturbed."

"Thank you, sir." Luke murmured under his breath as Schurke lead him away from the group. "Now I owe you one."

Schurke only grunted his response, seeming to concentrate more on the act of moving forward. Wordlessly, Luke followed.

They stopped up short behind a small knot of people, which quickly became a murmuring crowd. Schurke, however, seemed unsurprised.

"Wait," he said softly to Luke, who turned to see what had caused the sudden gathering, and then as recognition dawned, his eyes grew wide.

Apparently, the commotion was created by the arrival of one man…  
Luke watched as the other passed through the crowd. Next to him, in almost solemn procession, were Aubé and another young man whom Luke didn't recognize. His hair was longer then Luke remembered; a rich sandy brown with a shock of white extending from one of the myriad of scars at his temple. His eyes, once as dark as Aubé's, were an odd murky grey. He reached out with his free hand and forefingers slightly extended, while the rest curled easily to his palm as if he held out his hand in supplication.

No, not supplication, Luke realized. The man who parted the crowd like the prow of a small boat in still water was feeling his way. He was blind.

"_Kay'leb_," Luke said softly.

"Master Skywalker!" Kay'leb cried joyfully as he approached. "Good to see you!"

"Good to see you, too," Luke said carefully, feeling rather awkward. _More things you didn't tell me, Aubé,_ he thought to himself, trying unsuccessfully to catch her eye. _Next thing you know I'll find that Pem has a twin…_

Kay'leb pulled Luke into a rough embrace. "Don't blame Bé," he whispered in his ear. "She still thinks that this is all her fault."

Luke could only nod in agreement, and then felt foolish. It wasn't as if Kay'leb could see the gesture, after all, and yet…

All at once, Luke saw the young man at Kay'leb's side make a slight motion in the palm Kay'leb's hand. Realization dawned on him as Kay'leb continued.

"Master Skywalker, may I introduce Toa?" he said brightly. "Toa is my apprentice and _companion_ – and occasionally my eyes."

Toa had whispered something in Aubé's ear. She turned and whispered something back, not looking at Luke.

Luke bowed to Toa, then once again unsuccessfully tried to catch Aubé's eye.

_Is this what you've been hiding from me Aubé?_ Luke thought as he felt a distinctively un-Master-like stab of jealously. Toa was taller than he was, and his simple clothing was accented with a long single braid that did not detract from his handsome appearance in the slightest.

Suddenly, Kay'leb burst into glorious fits of laughter, joined quickly by Toa and Schurke. Even the oddly stoic Aubé cracked a small smile at the thin line of her lips.

For the first time in many years, Luke longed for a hole to open up in the center of the floor and swallow him up. This was just too much to bear, but once again, Schurke threw an arm around him, directing him to what looked like a mercifully empty room. Drawing on the tattered remains of his pride, Luke allowed himself to be guided inside.

"I'm afraid you've misunderstood, _Master son of Toboo_," Schurke told him gently under his breath. "Toa is bound inexorably to Kay as I am to Kampher." Then his tone changed. "I'm afraid, my young friend, there are things we must talk about in private. Things that concern your little one."

Luke stopped in mid stride. "Pem?" he asked, only to be silenced with a wave of Schurke's hand.

"Inside…" He hissed softly. "We don't have a lot of time before the speeches begin."

As they stepped in, Luke felt the welcome and warm touch of Aubé's hand on his shoulder. "It's all right Luke, Pappa and Kay will explain everything."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_From ignorance our comfort flows.—  
Matthew Prior: To the Hon. Charles Montague. _

**

"So this is your _Yayso Atee_, Aubé?" Toa asked as soon as the door closed behind them. "He is even handsomer than he is in my _Kaysa's_ memories." He led Kay'leb to an empty seat, and kept a standing vigil next to him.

"Toa," Aubé said gently, "Luke didn't know about – about what happened to Kay after. How he lost his sight, and… and…" She melted into Luke's embrace, unable to continue. Luke caressed her cheek soothingly, reassuringly.

Schurke sat down heavily in one of the large soft chairs with a grunt. "We can talk about our family memories over supper tonight," he said solemnly. "Luke, you haven't heard what's been going on."

"What is it Master?" Luke asked, and then grimaced as he felt Aubé trembling against him. "What's wrong?"

"Children," Schurke said softly. "It has not yet been reported to the holo-net vultures, but children are being stolen."

Luke could only stare in horror.

"There are no detectable patterns yet," Schurke continued in a low voice. "At least, not detectable to _most_ beings…"

"Force – sensitives…"

Schurke nodded. "And sometimes their caretakers… just disappear."

"And you think they could be after _Pem…_?" Luke murmured.

"No one knows that she is your child, Luke," Aubé said softly. "There are so many fatherless children left behind from the war as it is…"

"Why haven't you sent a message to Coruscant?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"Luke," Kay'leb interrupted him softly. "Coruscant is overrun with other concerns more pressing than the disappearances of a few children."

Toa nodded in agreement.

Luke sat down in the nearest unoccupied chair and Aubé crawled into his lap, her eyes wet with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry Luke," Aubé whispered. "I should have told you."

"What can we do?" Luke asked, suddenly determined.

"Luke, I want you to take Aubé and Pem back to Coruscant," Schurke said slowly, earning a look of malevolence from Aubé. "They'll be safer there."

"Pappa, I've already said…"

"This isn't the time or place to argue, Aubé," Schurke snapped. "We can discuss this later, but right now we need to act as if all is normal. Pem is with Kampher, and I doubt if anyone would be foolish enough to try anything at home. There are a few advantages to being a retired public official, after all."

A quiet knock at the door interrupted them.

"I'm sorry sir, Are you ready for your speech?"

"Yes, thank you," Kay'leb answered softly, as Toa took his arm. "I'll be there shortly…"

**

It was late in the evening when the party arrived back at the house, and as soon as they began to make the journey down the pathway, Pemberian came racing out to greet them. After a quick kiss and cuddle from Schurke and Kay'leb, who continued into the house, Pem turned her attention fully to Toa.

"Toa! Toa!" she squealed joyfully. "X-wing! X-wing!"

Luke felt another stab of jealousy as Pemberian – _his_ daughter – jumped into Toa's waiting arms.

"X-wing!" she implored him again, squirming in his arms. With a burst of laughter, Toa grasped her fore-arm and ankle.

"Only one mission, Pi," he told her as he began to swing the little girl around in a circle. "Ready?"

"Gonna blow up the Death Star!" she giggled. "Just like my Pay-pa!"

Luke turned to Aubé, who only laughed. "She loves him, Luke," Aubé said simply. "Toa has been there since before she was born."

Luke could only thin his lips. He had missed so much of Pemberian's growing up; there was no way to make up for that. But yet…

He tried to clamp down on this thought as Toa finally put his daughter down.

"Toa, did you meet my Pay-pa yet?" Pem giggled, running into Luke's arms. She nestled herself down into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Pay-pa and Gra-mere and I went to Treasure Ship Row today! Ma-mere! Pay-pa bought loads of sweets!"

Aubé was horrified. "Luke, you didn't!"

Luke grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Aubé," he said, obviously not sorry at all. "But I did bring you some."

Toa looked around. "We should go inside," he murmured.

"Do you sense something, Toa?"

"Yes…"

"What is it?" asked Luke, reaching automatically for his lightsaber.

"Your angry mother…" Toa laughed, gently pushing Pem towards the door. "She's going to be upset if we don't come in for last meal soon."

"Last meal," Aubé repeated thoughtfully. "And sweets from Treasure Ship Row…"

"Hidden from your – our – daughter," Luke said mischievously. He pulled Aubé close.

"Luke, we're outside," Aubé murmured, wrapping her arms around him and drawing even closer. "And Last meal is waiting."

"I missed you all day," Luke replied huskily. "More than that."

"And Pem didn't wear you out?" Aubé's lips brushed his cheek.

A low, soft chuckle. "Not like you can." Luke brushed her nose with his playfully, and any tension that had remained between them dissolved with that simple gesture.

"Last meal…" Aubé began, but found herself silenced with a kiss.

After a long moment, Luke finally broke away.

"What was that for?" Aubé gasped. "Not that I object at all."

"Everything," Luke said softly, kissing her again. "Everything…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_In literature as in love,  
we are astonished at what is chosen by others. – André Maurois_

Last meal conversation was spiced with anecdotes from Kampher and Schurke about Luke's father, and Luke's own journeys of the last few years which seemed for Luke, to fall away as the evening waned. Pemberian, Kay'leb and Toa listened raptly, with Kay'leb and Toa occasionally interjecting stories of their own Only Aubé remained subdued.

After Pem went to bed, protesting vehemently, and only after Toa's assurance of a morning visit to , the adults retired to the sitting room. Schurke, confessing to feeling unwell, also took an early leave.

"We won't stay up late either, Master," Toa said softly, placing his hand on Kay'leb's arm as they sat. "My Kaysa, though he makes a good game of _make believe_, isn't well tonight."

"Do you need anything, Kay'leb?" Kampher asked, rising. "I have some fresh caros flowers for your father…"

Toa laughed. "Nothing but the best in my Master's mother's home!" he said merrily.

"No, Mother," Kay'leb began, squeezing Toa's leg as if to drive home the point. "Toa…"

"Yes, thank you Master," Toa replied, ignoring both Kay'leb's spoken and unspoken request. "Let me assist you." He rose, and bowing to Luke and Aubé, he joined Kampher back in the kitchen.

"Poor Kay," Aubé moaned with mock sympathy. "It's your own fault for choosing such a _motherly_ Kausho-té!"

"A… Kaw-show what?" Luke asked, turning to Aubé in confusion. "I though Toa and Kay'leb were…" he trailed off, not sure what the real relationship between Kay'leb and his… _companion_ was. Lovers? Master and apprentice? More?

"_ Kausho-té, _" Kay'leb pronounced for him. "Toa is my apprentice yes, and so much more. Through his eyes sometimes I can see things. We have been so thoroughly bonded we don't even need the tea ceremony my mother is so fond of. "

"Toa is also a gifted healer in his own right," Aubé murmured softly, her eyes grew distant. "Before Pem was born, Pappa took ill, and Mother could not keep both of us well…"

"What happened?" Luke asked anxiously, taking her hand and inwardly cursing himself. _I should have been here!_ he thought.

"The pregnancy was difficult," Toa said softly as he entered the room. He held a steaming mug of sweet smelling tea in one hand, and a small vial filled with a greenish liquid in the other which he handed to Aubé. She took it without comment. "Your mother offers her regrets, Bé and Kaysa, but she wanted to be sure your father took the caros tea, he can be difficult about such things – almost as difficult as my Kaysa!" he added with a smile.

"The pregnancy…" Luke pressed, hoping that it wasn't as bad as he feared.

"Fourth month," Toa murmured absently, handing Kay'leb the tea. "The changes were… _difficult_ for Aubé's body, and the little one was as impatient as she is now. My Kaysa was still weak, and we were still forging our complete bond…"

Luke wrapped his arms around Aubé protectively, with a hint of possessiveness. "And?"

Toa shrugged. "I helped her, with my Kaysa's assistance," he finished plainly. "It was what needed to be done."

"Oh…" Luke replied carefully.

"Toa is being modest," Aubé said softly. "He saved my life... And Pem's."

"I didn't mean to come across as ungrateful," Luke said suddenly, feeling awkward but both Kay'leb and Toa waved him off.

"Luke, everything is fine," Kay'leb told him gently. "And when the next child comes…"

Aubé shot him an unreadable look which Luke caught out of the corner of his eye like a wispy spirit.

"Toa and I will be there for you," he finished at last. He too rose, and allowed Toa to take his arm.  
"And if you will excuse us, I want to get to bed before Toa has to carry me."

He and Toa bowed to Luke, and after kissing Aubé lightly on the cheek, they disappeared down the hallway and into Kay'leb's bedroom.

**

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Kay'leb began shrugging off his clothing. Dutifully, Toa started picking them up.

"Leave them," Kay'leb said softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Come sit with me."

"Kaysa?" Toa murmured gently as he sat next to Kay'leb and began rubbing his shoulders. "What is it?"

"Sleepy," Kay'leb mumbled. "That was strong for caros tea, Toa…"

"Apologies, my Kaysa," Toa murmured. "Your mother insisted…"

"You Dathorians are all alike…" Kay'leb grumbled good naturedly, turning to kiss Toa lightly on the cheek.

"No, we're not, Kaysa," Toa answered softly. "I don't think Bé's _Yayso_ understands that…"

"He doesn't," Kay'leb agreed, lying down on the bed.. "He seems to think you were…" He trailed off, a little muddy.

"Not sleepy, Master?" Toa laughed softly. "But your head seems to be spinning…"

"More than usual?"

"He thinks I made love to his Kausho-té? He doesn't understand…"

"She's not bonded to him…" Kay'leb sighed.  
"Master?" Toa asked, his tone more serious now. "Should I go and explain to him and let you sleep?"

"Tomorrow, my 'Té," Kay'leb replied softly, wrapping his arms around Toa in an embrace. "If Bé… Bé doesn't explain it all to him tonight… We will in the morning..."

"So, Toa is a promising student of the Force then?" Luke murmured softly, nuzzling Aubé's ear. In the crook of his arm, Pemberian nestled securely, fast asleep again. Almost as soon as the rest of the family has retired, Pem had crept out of her room and into Luke's arms, professing nightmares. Although she had fallen back to sleep almost immediately, Luke had been reluctant to take her back just yet.

"Yes," Aubé replied gently, lazily brushing her fingers against his thigh. "Pappa says that had the Jedi been in full force, Toa might have become one of them."

"Might have?" Luke echoed softly, although the feather light touches on his thigh and the promise that they implied were becoming far more interesting to him than any Jedi lure.

"Toa was born outside of the Old Republic," Aubé said absently, pulling her hand away and reaching for the vial. "But that's something we can discuss another time, if you want." She began to nuzzle him lightly at the corners of his mouth, teasing him with the tip of her tongue. "I think it's almost time for bed…"

"I agree," Luke murmured, leaning in to kiss her, but Aubé pulled away.

"Wait," she said softly, opening the vial. "I need to drink this. Will you put Pem back to bed while I get some water? You might not want to kiss me until I do…"

Luke was puzzled, but acquiesced. "Oh… of course," he said, scooping up Pem into his arms. "Come little Pilot," he murmured gently. "It's time for the X wing to go back to the hanger."


	6. Chapter 6

_Go to the truth beyond the mind. Love is the bridge. – Stephen Levine_

Luke awoke early the next morning, alone once again.

Worse than alone.

_I asked her to marry me and she said no,_ he thought despairingly. _And now, she isn't even able to tell me why…_

He sighed, knowing that he would have to face them all eventually, but he just didn't feel ready.

_She said no…_

He sighed again, and began to dress.

At last, Luke went down to the table to find only Schurke and Kampher sitting there alone.

"Luke," Kam said softly. "We heard about what happened last night." She rose to embrace him, taking him into her arms as only a mother could. Schurke too rose, and patted Luke's arm. To his horror, Luke found himself on the verge of tears.

Kampher held him tighter. "It's all right Luke," she murmured softly. Her words and embrace thawed the ice Luke felt closing around his heart.

"Thank you Kam," he replied softly. "I… It's my own fault…"

"No, Luke," said Kampher, only to be interrupted by a very impatient Schurke.

"Kam, he's just been kicked in the sensitives by a full grown Shakk," Schurke grumbled. "The boy needs feeding and a good talking up by _one who's been there…_. Get this boy some real food and let _me_ handle the rest."

He took Luke by the arm and led him into the sitting room, only slightly leaning on his walking stick.

"Where is everyone?" Luke asked, feeling alternately better for their absence and perhaps even more lost than he had before.

"Aubé took Pem and the boys out for a walk," Schurke said evenly. "Luke, she was very upset this morning."

"She wasn't the only one."

"Luke," Schurke said sternly. "Don't judge her too harshly. She's just afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Luke retorted a little angrily. "Doesn't she understand that I love her?"

Schurke's lips grew thin, a look that reminded Luke uncomfortably of Aubé.

"You asked her to be your wife," Schurke said softly.

Luke raised his head proudly. "Yes," he said without hesitation. "Yes I did."

Schurke would not be detoured. "_After_ you implied that she had been… shall we say _free_ with her choice of lovers…"

"But I never… "

Schurke waved him off dismissively. "Not that it actually matters. Luke, you told her you loved her during an act of passion, not before."

Luke lowered his eyes, unable to reply.

"Schurke was the exact same way," Kampher said softly as she carried in a plate of tempting food. "I believe he told Anakin that he loved me long before he ever said it to me. In fact, it was due to his urging that Schurke said anything at all." She set the plate of food down in front of Luke, who suddenly realized that he might be hungry after all.

"My father?" Luke said, brightening a little around a mouthful of food. "I guess he wanted his friends to be happy?"

Schurke burst into joyous bouts of laughter. "Your father was a passionate man! I believe he thought _everyone_ should be in love, too…"

Kampher rolled her eyes. "Schurke, you know it wasn't _that_ simple."

"I do," Schurke rumbled thoughtfully, planting a tender kiss on his wife's forehead.

Feeling a little self conscious, Luke cleared his throat.

Kampher leaned easily into Schurke's single-armed embrace.

"You love her," Kam said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"And Pem?" Schurke added softly. "Luke, the life of a Jedi Master…"

"It's time to start fresh," Luke murmured softly. "The Jedi need a place to train. Not at the old Temple though, someplace new."

"You have a place in mind?" Kampher asked, rising to take the dishes. "As if I couldn't guess."

"There's a place on Naboo," Luke said softly. "I found out about it when I was going through my father's files. It's in the Lake Country."

"A good place to raise a family," Kampher murmured as she slipped back into the kitchen, leaving Schurke and Luke to themselves again.

"Perhaps you and Kam…" Luke began, only to trail off. To his surprise, Kay'leb came carefully into the sitting room – alone.

"Don't be so surprised, Luke," Kay'leb said with a little laugh. "Toa is not as attached to me as my father's artificial leg! He has taken Pem to be with her group of age mates for the morning."

"And Aubé?" Luke blurted out, unable to contain himself. _Does she resent me now? Wish I had never come back?_

"Give Bé a little time, Luke," Kay'leb said with surprising gentleness, his cloudy eyes shining from within. "She's just afraid."

"Afraid of _what_?" Luke cried out, exasperated. "Both you and your parents tell me that she's _afraid_, but that's not _Nails_! That's not _my_ Aubé!"

"No, it's not," Kampher said softly. "Luke…"

"Tell me then!"

"She nearly died with Pem…"

"She _nearly died_ on a hundred missions!"

"But that was different, Luke." Kampher said evenly. "Being a mother… being a parent… it changes things."

"Not that I've had much of a chance to discover that for myself," Luke added bitterly.

Schurke thinned his lips, but kept silent. Kay'leb however, was more forthright.

"And that's partly what she's afraid of! She's afraid that you've come to take Pem away."

"But I didn't even _know_ about her until a few days ago!" protested Luke.

"True," Kay'leb conceded. "Yet she knows the history of the Order. Children were removed from their parents at such a young age…"

"She doesn't think that… the children disappearing…" Luke grew pale, then angry. "That _I_ have anything to do with this?"

"NO!" came the chorus, peppered with an expletive or two from the male members of the family.

"Luke… it's been a long time since you've seen her…" Kam said gently. "And you haven't really _talked_ have you?"

Luke colored, but didn't drop his eyes. "We haven't really had a chance," he admitted.

"Then perhaps you should," Kay'leb said simply. "I can tell you where to find her."

"Thank you Kay'leb," Luke said, regaining much of his easy going demeanor. He turned to Schurke, who was watching him closely, as if he expected to hear what was coming.

"Master Canaille, I'll need a speeder." said Luke with a determined note. "And a favor."


	7. Chapter 7

_A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend,  
one human soul whom we can trust utterly,  
who knows the best and worst of us,  
and who loves us in spite of all our faults. – Charles Kingsley_

Luke sped through the Corellian country side on the swoop that Schurke had loaned him, relishing the thrum in his blood, in his soul…

_This will get you where you need to go, Luke,_ Schurke had told him with an unmistakable gleam in his eye. _And if you're actually careful, in one piece._

He had taken the swoop with thanks and the half hearted promise to be careful, but now that he was out on the open road…

_There it is, just where Master Canaille said it would be._

It was south of the city, south of the 'Old Corellian war site'… A small isthmus and abandoned building right on the edge of the sea.

Not wanting to catch Aubé off guard, he consciously sent out warm greetings into the Force, wondering if she was perceptive enough to pick up his presence. To his delight, she was, and he felt the warmth of welcome being sent back out to him.

He stopped the swoop several feet away, and carrying a small parcel of food, walked towards Aubé, who was going through a routine of simple Katanas.

And from the waist up she was bare.

She stopped mid-stride, and with her back still turned to him, called out a gentle greeting.

Luke could only stand and stare like a callow school boy. She turned to face him at last, arms crossed across her breasts, hands lightly holding her elbows, the midmorning sunlight reflected on the water behind her.

She was enchanting…

"'Lo Aubé," he said at last. "They said I could find you here. I hope I'm not disturbing you…"

She smiled sadly, unconsciously raising her arms a little higher.

"Oh, of course not…" she said softly, not moving from her spot.

"I… I brought you something for mid-day meal," Luke stammered, but he wanted to shout, _Why do you have to make things so difficult, Aubé?" _

"Thank you…" Aubé lowered her head slightly, watching him from beneath her long eyelashes. Her expression remained unchanged, but Luke was almost certain he caught a hint of… _confusion?_

Luke sighed in only semi exasperation. "Well, unless you want me to feed it to you, I'm afraid you'll have to come over here." He cocked an appreciative eyebrow. "And drop your arms…"

Now Luke saw a distinctive glimmer in her eyes, one of amusement. "And if I don't?"

Wordlessly, and not taking his eyes off of her for a moment Luke removed his boots and tossed them carelessly aside. The sand on the beach felt warm between his toes. A smile graced his face as Aubé began to walk into the foamy surf toward her, laughing and kicking up droplets of the sea.

It was only when he was a hairs-breath away from her that she began to run, splashing him as she dashed gaily away. In a last ditch attempt to slow her pursuer, she turned suddenly and scooped up great handfuls of water to toss at his chest, thoroughly soaking him..

Without warning, Luke made a mighty leap, and landed less than gracefully behind her. In one swift moment had scooped her up into his arms as easily as he had done so with Pem the night before.

"No fair, Skywalker!" she squealed indignantly, banging her fists against his chest as he carried her back to the shore. Luke only held her closer, effectively trapping her arms against his chest.

"You're slipping, Nails," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Now, where should I put you?"

"Back on the blanket in the shelter," she grumbled. "Where my clothes are."

Luke paused on the beach with his prize, considering. "I don't know about that, I think you look quite fetching as you are…"

Aubé snorted. "We're wet, and it'll get cold…"

"A blanket it is then," Luke said agreeably walking towards the shelter again. He was quiet until they reached the blanket where, still holding her close, he sat down with Aubé sprawled across his lap.

She closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. With one arm wrapped around her waist Luke gently cupped her chin and brought her lips to his in a soft kiss.

"Luke, about last night…" Aubé began, only to be silenced by another kiss.

"Not now," Luke murmured softly, but Aubé pulled away.

"Yes, now Luke," she said softly. "I meant what I said last night. I love you, but…"

Luke laid her back on the blanket. "I understand, Aubé… more than you know," he leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her face away.

"Luke, please…" she covered his hand with her own, but did not try to move it away. "We _need_ to talk…"

"Yes, I know," he replied, leaning closer to her brushing her cheek with his nose. "You think I only want to stay with you for Pem…" He began to move his hand ever so slightly.

"No," Aubé sighed. "It's not… not that…" With her free hand she entangled her fingers into his hair. "We… we used to be friends…"

"We still are, aren't we?" Luke said softly. He could feel her heart begin to pound beneath his touch as he blew softly in her ear.

"Its… its…" Aubé gasped.

"Let me make love to you first…" Luke rumbled low in his throat. "For the first time my Bé, let _me_ just please you…" He kissed her throat, and began working his way down. Aubé moaned softly.

"Luke…" the word came out almost strangled.

"Each time we love," Luke growled between kisses. "It's always _you_ who give yourself to me, as if it were my right to have you. You gave me the gift of being my first lover, the gift of a beautiful daughter…" He ran his nose, lips and chin over her throat. "And before we talk about the future or even the present Aubé… Just once…" He kissed her lower. "Just this once…"

"Once…" she sighed softly, accepting the gift of unrequited pleasure.

_Once…_


	8. Chapter 8

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 9

_Poets are all who love, who feel great truths,  
And tell them; and the truth of truths is love.  
Festus. Scene xvi. The Hesperian Sphere. – Philip James Bailey  
_

With the midday meal still untouched. Aubé lay contentedly in Luke's arms, sheltered from the chill that had descended upon them.

_Almost_ contentedly.

"Your face is prickly," Aubé grumbled into his chest, wrinkling her nose. "Were you in such a hurry this morning that you forgot to shave the hair off your face?"

"I like it," Luke murmured, rubbing the top of her head with his chin. "I was thinking of letting it grow, actually."

Aubé snorted. "People will mistake you for a wookiee, Luke."

Suddenly, Luke began grunting and howling, eliciting gales of laughter from Aubé.

"You should do that for your daughter, Luke," she said at last as the laughter subsided. "Or perhaps not –  
She worships the ground you walk on and would probably start in over first meal. It's hard enough to get her to eat without having her howling like a wookiee on top of things!"

"Aubé, she barely knows me," Luke replied softly, but Aubé shook her head.

"Luke, she knows all about you."

"Stories…"

"Truths!" Aubé insisted. "Not the myth that is _Jedi Skywalker_, the man who is her 'Pay-Pa'!" She kissed him tenderly. "She knows about the wise and gentle man who rests in my arms, who loves so fully and gives so freely. She knows from him the importance of family…"

Luke mulled this over as Aubé reluctantly rolled away to get dressed.

"I think we should get back," she sighed at last.

Shaking the loose grains of sand form his hair, Luke checked his chrono. "It's early yet, Bé," he murmured softly. "And we still haven't talked."

"Pem was a little warm this morning," Aubé replied absently, pulling a light tunic over her head. "I just want to be sure she's all right."

"Bé," Luke said a little more firmly, taking her arm. "We can't put this off any more – you know what needs to be done."

"My daughter needs me, Luke," Aubé said quietly, turning her head away as she pulled on her leggings.

"_Our_ daughter, Bé…" Luke corrected her as he rose to his knees. "And this isn't just about Pem and you know it!"

Aubé thinned her lips – so reminiscent of her father – but said nothing, and Luke pressed on. "Aubé, there are children in trouble…"

"Luke, there are _always_ problems in the Galaxy," she said morosely as she rose. "Why do you think you can solve them all?"

"You sound like my sister."

"Maybe because you know she's right?"

Luke rocked back on his heels, frustrated. "Bé… Nails… What happened to you? For the love of the Force, you're a _Jedi_!"

"No I'm _not_ a Jedi, Luke." Aubé pulled on a light coat as she headed towards the first speeder. "That's the simple truth of things. My parents were Jedi. My brother is a healer. I'm… I'm just me."

And with that sad and cryptic reply, Aubé started the speeder and headed back to the city.

**

When Pemberian didn't come rushing out of the house to meet him, Luke knew there was something amiss. Kampher waiting at the doorway with a look of concern on her face did nothing to relive his fear.

"Pem?"

Kampher nodded. "She has a fever, Luke, and she's been asking for you." A cold snake of fear wound itself in the pit of Luke's stomach. He knew that in a house full of Healers – _Jedi_ Healers in particular – a simple fever would not be such cause for concern.

Luke nearly fell over himself trying to rush past Kam; a strangled "Where?" was all he could manage.

"In her bed," Kampher called after him, unsure if Luke even heard. "Aubé is there with her, and the boys are down at the market getting more medication. I'll be up in a minute with some more cooling packs."

He took the steps two and three at a time, and in almost an instant had burst into his daughter's sunny bedroom. Aubé, who was sitting at the side, greeted Luke with a sour look of concern.

"She _was_ asleep, Luke," Aubé said softly. "I thought Jedi were supposed to be well practiced in the art of stealth…"

"Pay-Pa?" came the sleepy call from the bed, arms open wide. "Pay-Pa?"

"I'm here, little pilot," Luke called softly as Aubé made room of the bed for him. "I'm here…"  
Carefully, he scooped her into his arms and held her close. She was as hot as the mid-day ground on his home of Tatooine, and far too pale but for two high spots of color on her cheeks. Luke reached into the Force, trying to discern what could possibly be wrong, but all he could see was a whirling darkness, interspersed with shades of reds – the color of fever – surrounding his daughter.

"Pay-Pa," she whimpered softly. "I don't feel good at all."

"I know, little pilot," Luke crooned gently, stroking a sweaty lock of hair off of her fore-head. "You're going to be all right…" He cast a questioning look at Aubé, who looked positively frightened.

"She's getting worse!" Aubé mouthed silently, eyes widening.

"Pay-Pa…" Pem groaned. Her head rolled bonelessly in his embrace as her eyes rolled up, showing only the white. Aubé fairly screamed.

"Fill the basin with cool water!" Luke said suddenly. "We've got to cool her down quickly!" He was trying desperately to keep the raw terror out of his voice.

_Gods, what is happening to my daughter?_

In the race to get Pem into the water, they nearly collided with Kampher in the hall way. Kampher covered her mouth in horror, dropping the cooling packs as she gazed upon her granddaughter. "Luke!" she cried. "What happened?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Luke replied grimly as he placed Pem into the slowly filling basin, her dress and hair floating about her almost ethereally. "Master, you're a Healer – what's wrong with my daughter? How long has she been like this?"

"I'm going to com the medical center," Kampher told them, ignoring Luke's question as she began backing down the stairwell. "I can't believe…" she broke off, then picking up the cooling packs, Kam regained the composure that befitted her experience as a Master Healer. "Luke, bring the fever down, then wrap her up with the cooling packs to _keep_ it down. The medi-center will send a transport that will be faster and safer than a speeder…"

"Mother!" Aubé wailed. "What's wrong with my daughter?"

"Just do as I say!" Kampher snapped, leaving Luke, Aubé and Pem in the small bathing chamber, more frightened and confused then they had ever been.


	9. Chapter 9

_The primal duties shine aloft, like stars;  
The charities that soothe and heal and bless  
Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers. -  
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)  
The Excursion Book ix_

The 7th Hymn of Tiresias  
Chapter 10

Arriving at the Healing Center with Pemberian wrapped tightly in his arms, Luke was momentarily taken aback by the sheer amount of Force energy emanating from the Healers that surrounded them. His reverie was short lived however, as a familiar face greeted them at the entrance.

"This way! Quickly!"

It was Kay'leb's companion Toa who guided Luke and company to a small examination room – a very small examination room with a tub filled with cool water.

Reluctantly, Luke allowed Toa to remove Pem from his embrace and as he gently placed the unconscious child into the solution, he tensed at Toa's next pronouncement.

"The three of you will have to step out."

"No!" Aubé cried, as Luke pressed forward. "I won't leave my daughter! Not even for you, Toa!"

"Then perhaps you will for me, Bé," came a soft, yet commanding voice from behind her. "I need room to work…"

Gone was the jovial young man Luke was accustomed to seeing at the Canaille house hold, and in his place was a _Healer_ of no small worth. His bearing, his presence, all combined to exude an air of knowledge and confidence. If he was frightened of his niece's condition, he did not show it.

"Mother," Kay'leb turned to Kampher who had held back at the door sill. "Will you take Bé and Luke to wait with Papa? He's waiting next to the _calming room_ – utilize it if you must – I'll send Toa for you as soon as I can."

_Calming room?_ thought Luke absently as the vast empty space left by Pem from between his arms was filled by Aubé. He was too numb to protest, however, as Kampher dutifully lead Aubé and himself down one of the vast hallways and away from their ailing daughter.

Despite his almost total immersion into the Force, or perhaps because of it, Luke realized that they were surrounded by _Force sensitives, _all dressed in the simple robes in varying shades of blue. Young and older, human and non –human, many of those with hair sported braids of varying length such as Toa wore.

At any other time, such a discovery would have intrigued him. The braid had been a symbol of rank in the old Jedi Order – that much he had ascertained from the few surviving holocrons he had unearthed in his journeys. But right now, his only concern was for Pem and Aubé.

They arrived in a larger, yet still private room where Schurke waited for them. With painful slowness, he rose to greet them, taking the trio into his embrace as Tao excused himself with an abrupt bow.

"Mother… Papa…" Aubé sobbed, beginning to shake. "I'm so frightened!"

Kampher pulled Aubé into a solitary embrace, leading her over to a comfortable looking couchette where she pulled Aubé down next to her. Gently, as mothers can only do, Kam began rocking her daughter in her arms making soft crooning sounds.

_Oooh bah, Aubé, Oooh bah…_ she murmured softly. _Oooh bah…_

Somewhere deep in his soul, Luke had the vaguest sense of recognition, like a melody long forgotten; it soothed and comforted him, yet tinged with that comfort was the overwhelming sense of loss…

He shook it off, intent on the matter at hand.

"Master Canaille," Luke began but Schurke took his arm, shaking his head.

"Luke, come with me. Kam will take care of Aubé." Gently, he tried to pull Luke away, but Luke resisted at first.

He extended his hand, reaching out to Aubé, sending out into the Force the words that were so hard to say. _I love you, Bé…_

With her head resting in her mother's lap and her cries softened to muffled sobs, Aubé blindly reached out to Luke, her hand shivering, but unerring in its course.

He could feel her response as their fingers touched. _And I love you, too…_

"She'll be alright," Kampher said softly, placing her hand on Aubé's fore-head. "She's with me…"

Schurke gently pulled on Luke's arm again, but this time Luke broke away. _Wait…_ he gestured with a slight wave of his hand. "I'll only be a moment."

With infinite slowness, Luke knelt beside Aubé. With a touch as light as a spring breeze, he grazed her cheek with his finger tips. "Sleep now, Bé," he murmured. "I won't be far from you…"

There was an answering sigh, and Luke rose to join Aubé's father. "All right, I'm ready, now."

"You're good, Son of Toboo," Schurke told him with a half hearted smile. "Perhaps Obi-Wan should have left you here on Corellia."

Luke was momentarily taken aback. "Master?"

Schurke waved him off. "There's a communication center next to the calming room – a special creation of my son's, just a few meters down the hall. You have messages from the Old Folks Home – I mean Coruscant." Then he added cryptically, "and _other places_."

"Other places," Luke echoed, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Many other places," Schurke added. "Indeed Luke, it seems that you have many friends out there in the Galaxy."

"And here, too," Luke said softly, casting his eyes to Aubé who was resting easily in her mother's lap. With an easy flick of his wrist, Luke used the Force to lift a blanket over her prone form. "Masters, when will we hear about Pem?"

"Soon, I hope," Kam replied, the look of worry crossing her features once again. "Luke, she's in the very best possible hands."

"But what could possibly be wrong?" Luke pressed. "She was _fine_…"

"Come with me Luke," Schurke said softly, yet firmly. "The rest of the Galaxy awaits."

"Why won't you tell me?" Luke retorted a little sharply. "Why the need for all of this secrecy?"

"The coms room," Schurke replied. "It's safer. People are still afraid. Come."

Wordlessly, Luke followed, determined this time to get some real answers.


	10. Chapter 10

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 11

_In response to an attending doctor who attempted to comfort him by saying,  
"General, I fear the angels are waiting for you."  
Waiting are they? Waiting are they? Well-let 'em wait.  
– Ethan Allen _

Seemingly oblivious to the sounds and lights of the Medi-droids, Master Healer Kay'leb Canaille ran a soothing hand over his niece's forehead. Behind him, in stoic yet watchful silence, stood Toa, awaiting the smallest request from his master.

"Lights down to five percent," he murmured. "Unless you need them to see, Toa."

"No thank you, Master," came the respectful reply as Toa shuffled nervously in place.

"Toa," Kay'leb sighed shaking his head. "I know you are very gifted when it comes to working in the dark, but I need you to utilize _all_ of your senses right now. Raise the light level appropriately, please."

"Lights to fifteen percent," Toa murmured. "I'm sorry, Master. It won't happen again."

"Oh, but we both know it will, my friend." Kay'leb replied wryly. "Lights to twenty please."

Toa could not contain himself any longer. "Master? Is it… the symptoms say it could be…" He swallowed hard, unable to give voice to his fears and thus granting them substance.

"Stop acting like a nanny-grasser, Toa," Kay'leb snapped, now becoming irritable. "Have you looked into the Force surrounding her? Have you seen anything of note?" Gently now, Kay'leb reached back and caught Toa's hand in his own. Tenderly, he stroked his thumb over his apprentice's palm, and although the touch was that of affection, it had the added effect of giving Toa focus. "Now Toa," he said softly. "Close your eyes and truly _see_…"

It was only when Kay'leb took his hand that Toa realized that he was shaking.

The message center was spacious, yet afforded itself of smaller, more private self contained rooms where Schurke unerringly led Luke. When the door sealed itself silently behind them, Luke helped Schurke into a seat, suddenly almost painfully aware that the Jedi Master had seemed to have aged several years over the last few hours.

"Your messages," Schurke said with a wheeze, waving his hand in the general direction of the holo net terminal. "Unless you wish to view them in private…"

"Master," Luke said, exasperation creeping into his voice. "The messages can wait. _Now_ will you tell me what you think is wrong?"

Schurke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, as if trying to delay the inevitable, and when his eyes met Luke's once more they were as full of sadness as he had ever seen them.

"Luke," he said at last. "Have you ever heard of 'Tarkin's croup'?"

Luke considered, then shook his head. "No. Not really."

"It came to Corellia after the destruction of the first Death Star," Schurke said softly. "At first, people joked that Corellia would choke on his ashes, and then people started to die…"

Luke thinned his lips, perhaps unconsciously picking up the habit from Aubé, but allowed Master Canaille to continue at his own pace,

"Mostly it was the children," Schurke said wearily. "For the most part, adults would recover as often as not, but in the children it was almost always fatal. Quick…"

"Where did it come from?" Luke whispered, although in his heart he already knew. _Please, don't let this be another stone to lay on my father's grave,_ he thought.

Schurke leaned back in his chair, fingers knitted thoughtfully under his chin. "No," he assuaged the stricken young man before him. "_Vader's_ interest was directed at finding a certain young _Rebel_ after all, and Vader had developed an aversion to such – shall we say, impersonal – wholesale slaughter."

Schurke fell silent, allowing Luke this small moment of absolution before continuing on.

"Kam and the other Healers – and surely by now you realize what many of them are – nearly worked themselves to death trying to find a cure."

"_Jedi_…" Luke said softly. "But how?"

Schurke ignored the question. "There is no cure, Luke," he said softly. "The Healers can comfort, treat the symptoms, and sometimes the victim recovered."

"My daughter…" Luke began, seeing Schurke's impassive reaction, grew angry. "How can you just _sit there_?" He cried out in a growing fury. "That's your granddaughter in there!"

"It came back, Luke," Schurke said softly. "After nearly a generation, it came back when Pemberian was less than three seasons old. Of course, she has only fleeting memories."

It struck Luke then, in that instant it was like a solar burst from Tatoo 1, burning his very soul.

Everything made sense now. Aubé's almost fearsome protection of their daughter. The reluctance to even consider more children. The sense of familiarity at her meditation place. The secret behind her eyes.

He couldn't bring himself to say it, to ask the question. It was too terrible to consider.

"What was his name?" Luke croaked.

"Tamaillin…" came the soft reply. "Your son's name was Tamaillin."


	11. Chapter 11

_"Can a husband ever carry about a secret all his life and a woman who loves him have no suspicion of it? I knew it by his refusal to talk about some episodes in his American life. I knew it by certain precautions he took. I knew it by certain words he let fall. I knew it by the way he looked at unexpected strangers."  
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias  
Chapter 12 **

Luke stumbled out of the coms center, away from Schurke, away from the messages, away from the worlds, while his son's name echoed in his brain like an angry war drum.

_Tamaillin._

Tamaillin.

His son's name had been Tamaillin.

He groped his way along the softly lit corridor blindly, guided by nothing more than the need to get away.

_Tamaillin._

Tamaillin.

A son he would never know, gone before his second year.

_Tamaillin…_

Why didn't you tell me Aubé? Why?

Luke knew that he would have to find a private place soon. Although the hallway was mercifully empty, his luck would not hold out for long, and he desperately needed a place to be alone. At least for now.

As if in answer to his silent prayer, he came across a nondescript doorway that seemed to lead into an enclosed courtyard.

_Calming Room_ the sign on the door read in simple script, and Luke uttered a shaky laugh. A _calming room_ was the last place he really wanted to be, but perhaps the courtyard beyond…

He opened the door and listened carefully as it closed with a 'shush' behind him. The room was sunny and light, the very antithesis of how he felt, with soft, unidentifiable music playing gently in the back ground.

A refreshing sent of wildflowers greeted his nostrils, and against his innermost expectations, he realized that perhaps sitting and staying in this room wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

He sat on one of the padded benches, leaned back and closed his eyes, willing the fire in his heart, the rage that threatened to consume him to lessen, if just for a minute.

_Wildflowers…_ he thought dreamily.

_Wildflowers… and something else. Something familiar…_ whispered the traitorous part of his mind that refused to be stilled. _You need to meditate, not sleep… you recognize that scent just under your beloved wildflowers don't you? _

Luke sat up, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it.

_Of course,_ he thought to himself, placing the sent that he had nearly disregarded. _No wonder this is a 'calming room'! They've masked a narcotic under the perfume…_

With more than a little admiration for the Healer's art, he forced himself to his feet and to the doorway that lead back into the hallway.

"Not good," Luke muttered under his breath.

"In here…" a woman's voice called to him. "This is the room you want to be in."

Still hazy from the narcotic fumes in the Calming Room, Luke stumbled across the hallway and to the other room. The door gave way easily, and once again, Luke found himself mercifully alone.

Well, not quite alone, he decided, for the room virtually hummed with incorporeal activity – the very essence of the Force. He was, he realized, in a true meditation room.

A small fountain trickled in one corner, surrounded by circular cushioned stools. The walls were colorfully painted with scenes of open expanses, and ancient forests that he felt that he could walk into. Unobtrusive alcoves held crystalline sculptures and holo cubes which he suspected were focusing tools. It was exactly what he needed to calm his heart and clear his head.

He turned to thank his unseen benefactor, but she had vanished.

_Perhaps it's better that way,_ Luke thought to himself as he found a seat and prepared to meditate – to release his anger and hurt into the Force as the last of the heady effects from the other rooms soporifics faded away. _I need to be alone for a while, anyway. _

And with that last thought, Luke slid easily into the self-induced trance of a deep meditation.

**

"Now, what do you see, my beloved apprentice?" Kay'leb murmured softly as he guided Toa's hand to hover over Pemberian's sleeping form. "What do you truly see?"

"The same thing as the medi droids reported, Master," Toa answered miserably. "Tarkin's, in a recessive yet stable holding pattern…"

"Look _deeper_," Kay'leb insisted. "Toa, you can see it, can't you?"

Not wishing to let his Master down for lack of trying, Toa gave his thick blond hair a shake.

"Webbings, dear Toa?" Kay'leb asked him, a surprising note of humor in his voice. "Has a silk weaver made its home in your lovely head?"

"No, Master," Toa said shortly, trying to concentrate. "I'm sorry, all I can see is the tell tale yellow spots in her Force signature, and like the others, the blue partially surrounding… no, not partially…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling the warmth of approval radiating from his Master. It was all he could do not to cry out with joy and surprise. "Master! I see it! The blue _completely_ surrounds the yellow! In a few places it has completely encompassed it!"

Kay'leb nodded his concurrence as Toa continued excitedly. "Master!" he exclaimed. "She is winning the fight against the illness!" If it had not been against the standards of decorum, he would have kissed his Master then and there.

"Yes," Kay'leb said softly, then resumed the air of professionalism. "Send in Tay'sha and tell her that I wish her to continue to keep the temperature steady, and to follow the directives I recorded earlier, and then take me to my sister and our family. Bé and her Yayso will be anxious to hear the news."

Toa bowed, and headed quickly out the door, only briefly pausing to allow his eyes to readjust to the regular light once again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

_I hear them singing a song for all lovers,  
A song for the two hearts beating only as one.  
Imagine the morning, no longer alone.  
The arms of another, a place to belong.  
No longer the struggle, no longer the night,  
And ever becoming in the quickening light.  
To see the darkness, to listen within,  
To answer in kindness, to ever begin.  
To ever be gentle, to always be strong.  
To walk in the wonder, to live in the song. – John Denver, A Song for All Lovers_

Luke opened his eyes briefly and realized two important things. For a start, the meditation room had taken on the appearance of being outdoors in a vast primeval forest. In the 'distance', he could hear wild birds singing.

_No, not just appearance,_ he thought. _I can almost smell it… feel it… It's amazing holo technology…._

The second thing he realized is was that he was not alone.

"Hello there," Luke said brightly, trying to mask his disappointment in having his meditation interrupted. "Can I help you?"

"Perhaps I can help you, Luke," his companion replied softly. "You seem to be in need…"

At once Luke recognized the voice. It was the same woman who had led him to this room. She was not one of the Healing staff, that much was apparent. Her clothes were as worn as her features; her dark hair was lined with rivulets of grey that seemed blend in with her clothing. It was her smile, however, that was her most prominent feature. It did more than up turn her lips and add crinkles to her eyes – it radiated from her very being. In the odd artificial light, it seemed to grant her an other worldly glow.

Luke sat down heavily on the tree stump that had once been his bench, and ran a weary hand through his hair. He wanted to be forthright, and to explain to his visitor that he really wished to be left alone, and yet…

"Do you like this place?" she asked suddenly, looking around. "It reminds me of my own home."

"Oh?" Luke replied glibly, not wanting to be impolite.

"My son never knew about our home planet," she sighed, yet still kept the bright smile on her face. "But he went on to see so many, many worlds…"

_Son…_

"I didn't know my son," Luke replied softly. "He… he died before I even knew he even existed."

"My son was a beautiful boy," the woman continued as if Luke hadn't said a word. "If you look, you can see him over there in the distance with his lady friend, there in the meadow…"

Luke looked in the direction she was pointing. In the distance he could almost make out two dancing figures, a man and a woman, floating across the lilting grasses to a melody only they could hear.

"They seem very happy," Luke replied, smiling in spite of himself, and he sighed wistfully.

"Do you have a family?" she asked, and when Luke turned to look back at her, he was a little taken aback. Darkness has fallen quickly in the 'forest', and she was now surrounded by small fire lights. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that there seemed to be other figures flitting in and out of his line of sight, perhaps one or two were hiding behind her skirts. She turned her head, listening. "Of course you do, Luke. They are looking for you… can you hear them calling you?"

"How did you know…" Luke trailed off, turning to look at the figures in the meadow again. "Is this a dream?"

In the distance, he could hear Aubé calling for him.

"My mother is calling," a new voice said softly, and Luke turned back to see that the woman had vanished. In her place stood a small boy with dark curly hair. A boy who was about Pem's age. He was dressed in a simple tunic, similar to the one Luke himself had worn growing up.

Luke's throat went dry as he sunk to his knees. _"Tamaillin…"_ he whispered

"You need to go back, father," the boy said softly. "I just wanted you to know I'm all right."

The voices were becoming louder, more insistent, but Luke wasn't ready to go back quite yet.

"Tam… I'm so sorry…" Luke choked. "I… I…" he couldn't go on.

"Take care of our family, Pay-Pa." Tamaillin said, taking Luke into his embrace. "Tell them I love them."

"I will," Luke gasped holding his son close, closer.

"I will…"

His arms closed in tighter as Luke heard a curious rushing that threatened to drown out the voices. He felt as if he were falling.

_Luke? Are you there?_

Closer.

Luke?

The falling stopped and Luke found himself kneeling on the plush floor of the meditation room, his arms wrapped tightly around his heart.

"Master?" Toa's soft voice called from the doorway. "Are you all right?"

Luke looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. "Pem?" he croaked. "My daughter?"

Tao smiled, more broadly then Luke had ever seen him. "…will be well."

"Aubé?"

"Resting, for the most part, Master," Toa replied, then added with a slight duck of his head, "I think, Master, she would be easier with her _Yayso_ at her side…"

Luke extended his hand, which Toa gladly took and helped him rise. "Come with me, Master," he said barely trying to conceal his own happiness. "They are not far."

"No," agreed Luke softly taking a last look around the meditation chamber. "The ones we love never are."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 14**

_It is the nature of truth to struggle to the light.  
– Wilkie Collins  
_

Luke, surprised to see that the daylight had already slipped away, followed Toa down the hallway in a companionable, if heavy silence. It was only when they reached a turbo-lift to the higher levels that Luke brought himself to speak.

"Toa," he said softly. "What happened to… to Tam?"

Toa's face became mask-like, as if a shade had been drawn over his features. Wordless, he pushed the call button as if he had not heard.

"Toa," Luke began again a little more firmly. "I know about Tam…"

"It is not my place to talk about it, Master." Toa replied as the door closed behind them, his face and tone carefully neutral. "That is for Aubé, or perhaps my Master, to decide…"."

Luke sighed, repressing the urge to use the Force to _persuade_ the young Healer to elaborate. "Where are we going?" he asked instead. "Did you move my daughter?"

A shake of the head. "My Master will explain," came the short reply as Toa kept his eyes forward, avoiding Luke's own as the door opened to an atrium. He bowed stiffly as Luke exited the turbo lift alone.

"You're not coming?"

"I must attend to my duties, Master," Toa replied quietly, lowering his eyes. "You are expected."

Surrounded by glass panes, the atrium was a larger version of the meditation room with trees and crystal fountains spread throughout. A small, unobtrusive passageway appeared to lead off to a set of smaller rooms while the city traffic whisked by silently above, like stars playing a game of hide and seek.

"Master Skywalker," Kay'leb's voice called softly from across the room. "A word, please, before you once again lay claim to my sister…" His tone was light and inviting, although he wore his exhaustion like a shroud. "Come, sit with me a while…"

"Kay'leb," Luke murmured as he made his way over to join the Healer. "Why won't you let me see Pem?"

He sat down heavily and then in an instant was on his feet with a yelp as he felt a needle stick. "What was _that_ for?" he asked ruefully, rubbing his back side. To his annoyance, Kay'leb laughed.

"I needed a blood and tissue sample, Luke," Kay'leb told him simply, laughter dancing in his cloudy eyes. "I apologize… I'm not as delicate as my assistants."

"You could have _asked_," Luke snapped after taking a quick internal inventory. If the Healer had drugged him…

"No need to be concerned, Luke," Kay'leb assured him, eyes still twinkling merrily. "Unlike my rancor-headed sister, I don't feel that I would need to resort to such surreptitious methods. Especially as you seem so adept at finding them yourself."

Luke grunted as he sat down again – more carefully this time, not wanting to aurgue the point. However, he refused to be dissuaded.

"Pem…"

"Is better than we could have hoped, Luke," Kay'leb murmured, looking down at his hands. "However, I can't risk you coming in contact with her until the morning – presuming the blood test comes back negative and confirms what I see in your Force signature – then you can see her…" He rose, taking his walking stick to hand.

"And my son, Kay'leb" Luke asked, his voice cracking. "Will you _please_ tell me…"

"I think it is Bé's place to discuss that with you."

Luke grasped Kay'leb's arm, more firmly than he intended. Kay'leb, however, appeared not to notice. "Where is she?"

"She is in the second room – the one on the right," Kay'leb nodded in the general direction of the passageway. "My parents are farther down the hall." He began leading Luke towards the turbo-lift.

"And is she awake?" Luke pressed. "Kay'leb, I need to speak with her!"

Kay'leb offered him a wry smile, but said nothing. There was no need.

"How long before the sedation wears off?" Luke demanded. " I need to talk to her!"

The Healer waved his walking stick dismissively. "You of all people, Luke, should know by now that sometimes, just sometimes, words are overrated."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, as Luke mulled over the Healer's cryptic words.

_Words are overrated…_

Luke paused mid-stride as he considered.

_Words…_

"My mother left you a gift on Aubé's bedside," Kay'leb said simply as they reached the tubo-lift, preparing to part ways. He reached up and caressed Luke's cheek tenderly. "Be gentle with Aubé, Luke," he added softly. "Be gentle…"

Toa was waiting for Kay'leb at the lower level, and as the door opened, he gingerly took his Master's arm.

"Is everything all right, Toa?" Kay'leb murmured moving his hand to encircle his waist as they walked down the hallway.

"Yes, Master," Toa agreed, a slight tremor to his voice. "All the test results, both chemical and through the Force all show a marked improvement."

"And the messages from the Core?"

"All taken care of, Master."

"Then why the concern?"

"I feel like we're running out of time, Master," Toa said at once. "If word gets out…"

"Things will be fine, Toa," Kay'leb said firmly. "Tomorrow, I'll speak to my mother and the rest of the senior Healing staff. We'll explain everything then."

"Master?" Toa began as he held open a door that lead to one of the private residence rooms.

"Tao, do you trust me?" Kay'leb asked, taking both of Toa's hands in his own.

The door closed behind them, and Toa went to his knees. "Utterly, Master." He murmured softly as he wrapped his arms around Kay'leb's legs, resting his head on his Master's thighs.

"Then we won't speak of this any more," Kay'leb's voice lilted softly as he entangled his fingers into the young man's hair. "Not tonight, my friend. Come, help me undress. It's been a very wearing day, and tomorrow will present new challenges of its own."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 15**

_To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.  
~Lewis B. Smedes_

Despite the low level of lighting in the room, Luke did not need to see her; he could feel Aubé's distress through the Force.

Apparently, she could feel his presence as well, for almost as soon as he entered, she began to thrash about on the rather large bed.

Ignoring the data pads on the side table, he carefully made his way over to the bed and knelt on the cover.  
"Bé," he murmured softly, stroking her head. "Bé, it's alright… I'm here now."

Eyelids fluttering, Aubé muttered his name thickly as she reached out blindly for him. Gently, Luke caught her hand in his own and kissed her palm as he crooned her name softly until she became still.

_My mother left you a gift, Luke…_ Kay'leb's voice echoed in his mind. _There, on the nightstand._

Yes, there it was. A glass of Kampher's tea sitting in a warmer, yet it was the empty vial that sat next to it that drew his attention.

_Her insurance,_ Luke thought to himself sadly. _She even took the insurance._ He repressed a twinge of jealousy as he ran his hand down her bare shoulder, wondering who – if anyone – had undressed her.

_It doesn't matter,_ he murmured softly into her ear. _Everything's going to be all right, Bé. Sleep now, and when you wake it will all be all right._ With infinite tenderness, he reached under the coverlets and pulled her legs straight, guiding her body to lie flat on the bed, and then, careful to keep one hand placed lightly between her shoulders, he removed his shirt and tossed it carelessly aside.

Luke placed a soft kiss between her shoulder blades, then slowly brought his hands together, cradling the energy that gathered between them. After a moment, he ran his hands down her spine, channeling the energy into her body, first down her spine, then along her arms and legs from fingertips to toes. Every few moments he paused to cover her with his own body, and to whisper declarations of love, encouraging her to feel his heart beating with her own. Although she did not answer him directly, Luke could feel her response through the Force.

He pulled her over on top of him, relishing the feel of her weight on his chest, her arms draped loosely around his shoulders, his fingers laced delicately into her hair. Despite the fact that she had been heavily sedated, her eyelids fluttered as she called his name thickly.

"I'm here, Aubé," Luke whispered as his fingers traced lightly down her spine. He brushed his nose along her cheek. "I'm here…"

Trembling, Aubé reached up and entangled her fingers through his hair. "Tell me…" she mumbled slowly between deep breaths. "Tell… me…"

His hands smoothed down over her lower back as his own breathing became shallow. "Tell you what, Bé?" he breathed into her ear, pulling her closer.

"Not dreaming…" she replied, her voice a little stronger. "You're really here…" She placed a clumsy kiss on his temple.

Luke's breathing became heavier, deeper. It was almost like slipping into a meditative state. "Yes Bé, I'm really here…" His voice was low and hypnotic. "I'm here…"

She began to move against him, with him.

_Forgive me, Luke… Forgive me…_

I do… I do…

I wanted to tell you…

Our son forgives us, Aubé.

Tamaillin…

Yes, his name was Tamaillin.

He was your son.

He was our son, Aubé.

Yes, our son…

He forgives us, Bé… both of us. He wants us to be happy…

I loved him, Luke…

And he us, my love…

My love.

My love.

He was with her now, completely and utterly and not unlike the first time they had bonded. Images came to him and Luke felt as if he were riding a sail board through a windstorm on Tatooine.

He was with her the moment she first felt her children – their children - exert themselves with movement inside her belly.

She could smell the warm fresh air of the Lake country, and hear the birds calling on the island in the lake.

He shared the pain of their children's coming into the world, and Aubé's loneliness, wondering if her children would ever know their father.

She could feel the cold marble of the stone, the rough edges of the name _Padmé_ scratched into its polished surface.

He shared the pain, the fear as Tam grew ill… the unnamable agony as they felt his life force shed its mortal form…

The pain of the final goodbye, the joy at finding each other again…

They held each other close long into the night, loving deeply yet without the final _physical_ act of love. Instead, Luke made love to her soul, sealing the bond they had created that night so many years ago while Kampher's tea cooled on the nightstand, untouched.

**

When the call light flashed in the middle of the night, for once Toa was grateful for his Master's exhaustion – it would mean he could tend to the matter himself without disturbing him.

Toa pressed the answer button quickly, lest the Healer on the other end resorted to using a voice call. A call at this time of night – not the alarm but a simple summons – meant that it was a simple matter. A holo-net message from the Core, perhaps…

"Toa…" Kay's sleepy voice came from the bed. "Didn't I tell you to wake me if we received a call from the Yavin wing?"

"I thought you were asleep, Master," Toa sighed, exasperated. "I will go down – it doesn't appear to be an emergency."

"Help me dress, Toa," Kay'leb answered brusquely. "I feel that I must go down myself. We are too close to allow for _any_ mistakes, no matter how insignificant they may seem."

Toa bowed his head and then gathered together Kay'leb's robes and tunic, biting back the thought that perhaps things were not going as smoothly as his Master would have wished.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14**

_It is the nature of truth to struggle to the light.  
– Wilkie Collins  
_

Luke, surprised to see that the daylight had already slipped away, followed Toa down the hallway in a companionable, if heavy silence. It was only when they reached a turbo-lift to the higher levels that Luke brought himself to speak.

"Toa," he said softly. "What happened to… to Tam?"

Toa's face became mask-like, as if a shade had been drawn over his features. Wordless, he pushed the call button as if he had not heard.

"Toa," Luke began again a little more firmly. "I know about Tam…"

"It is not my place to talk about it, Master." Toa replied as the door closed behind them, his face and tone carefully neutral. "That is for Aubé, or perhaps my Master, to decide…"."

Luke sighed, repressing the urge to use the Force to _persuade_ the young Healer to elaborate. "Where are we going?" he asked instead. "Did you move my daughter?"

A shake of the head. "My Master will explain," came the short reply as Toa kept his eyes forward, avoiding Luke's own as the door opened to an atrium. He bowed stiffly as Luke exited the turbo lift alone.

"You're not coming?"

"I must attend to my duties, Master," Toa replied quietly, lowering his eyes. "You are expected."

Surrounded by glass panes, the atrium was a larger version of the meditation room with trees and crystal fountains spread throughout. A small, unobtrusive passageway appeared to lead off to a set of smaller rooms while the city traffic whisked by silently above, like stars playing a game of hide and seek.

"Master Skywalker," Kay'leb's voice called softly from across the room. "A word, please, before you once again lay claim to my sister…" His tone was light and inviting, although he wore his exhaustion like a shroud. "Come, sit with me a while…"

"Kay'leb," Luke murmured as he made his way over to join the Healer. "Why won't you let me see Pem?"

He sat down heavily and then in an instant was on his feet with a yelp as he felt a needle stick. "What was _that_ for?" he asked ruefully, rubbing his back side. To his annoyance, Kay'leb laughed.

"I needed a blood and tissue sample, Luke," Kay'leb told him simply, laughter dancing in his cloudy eyes. "I apologize… I'm not as delicate as my assistants."

"You could have _asked_," Luke snapped after taking a quick internal inventory. If the Healer had drugged him…

"No need to be concerned, Luke," Kay'leb assured him, eyes still twinkling merrily. "Unlike my rancor-headed sister, I don't feel that I would need to resort to such surreptitious methods. Especially as you seem so adept at finding them yourself."

Luke grunted as he sat down again – more carefully this time, not wanting to aurgue the point. However, he refused to be dissuaded.

"Pem…"

"Is better than we could have hoped, Luke," Kay'leb murmured, looking down at his hands. "However, I can't risk you coming in contact with her until the morning – presuming the blood test comes back negative and confirms what I see in your Force signature – then you can see her…" He rose, taking his walking stick to hand.

"And my son, Kay'leb" Luke asked, his voice cracking. "Will you _please_ tell me…"

"I think it is Bé's place to discuss that with you."

Luke grasped Kay'leb's arm, more firmly than he intended. Kay'leb, however, appeared not to notice. "Where is she?"

"She is in the second room – the one on the right," Kay'leb nodded in the general direction of the passageway. "My parents are farther down the hall." He began leading Luke towards the turbo-lift.

"And is she awake?" Luke pressed. "Kay'leb, I need to speak with her!"

Kay'leb offered him a wry smile, but said nothing. There was no need.

"How long before the sedation wears off?" Luke demanded. " I need to talk to her!"

The Healer waved his walking stick dismissively. "You of all people, Luke, should know by now that sometimes, just sometimes, words are overrated."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, as Luke mulled over the Healer's cryptic words.

_Words are overrated…_

Luke paused mid-stride as he considered.

_Words…_

"My mother left you a gift on Aubé's bedside," Kay'leb said simply as they reached the tubo-lift, preparing to part ways. He reached up and caressed Luke's cheek tenderly. "Be gentle with Aubé, Luke," he added softly. "Be gentle…"

Toa was waiting for Kay'leb at the lower level, and as the door opened, he gingerly took his Master's arm.

"Is everything all right, Toa?" Kay'leb murmured moving his hand to encircle his waist as they walked down the hallway.

"Yes, Master," Toa agreed, a slight tremor to his voice. "All the test results, both chemical and through the Force all show a marked improvement."

"And the messages from the Core?"

"All taken care of, Master."

"Then why the concern?"

"I feel like we're running out of time, Master," Toa said at once. "If word gets out…"

"Things will be fine, Toa," Kay'leb said firmly. "Tomorrow, I'll speak to my mother and the rest of the senior Healing staff. We'll explain everything then."

"Master?" Toa began as he held open a door that lead to one of the private residence rooms.

"Tao, do you trust me?" Kay'leb asked, taking both of Toa's hands in his own.

The door closed behind them, and Toa went to his knees. "Utterly, Master." He murmured softly as he wrapped his arms around Kay'leb's legs, resting his head on his Master's thighs.

"Then we won't speak of this any more," Kay'leb's voice lilted softly as he entangled his fingers into the young man's hair. "Not tonight, my friend. Come, help me undress. It's been a very wearing day, and tomorrow will present new challenges of its own."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

_To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.  
~Lewis B. Smedes_

Despite the low level of lighting in the room, Luke did not need to see her; he could feel Aubé's distress through the Force.

Apparently, she could feel his presence as well, for almost as soon as he entered, she began to thrash about on the rather large bed.

Ignoring the data pads on the side table, he carefully made his way over to the bed and knelt on the cover.  
"Bé," he murmured softly, stroking her head. "Bé, it's alright… I'm here now."

Eyelids fluttering, Aubé muttered his name thickly as she reached out blindly for him. Gently, Luke caught her hand in his own and kissed her palm as he crooned her name softly until she became still.

_My mother left you a gift, Luke…_ Kay'leb's voice echoed in his mind. _There, on the nightstand._

Yes, there it was. A glass of Kampher's tea sitting in a warmer, yet it was the empty vial that sat next to it that drew his attention.

_Her insurance,_ Luke thought to himself sadly. _She even took the insurance._ He repressed a twinge of jealousy as he ran his hand down her bare shoulder, wondering who – if anyone – had undressed her.

_It doesn't matter,_ he murmured softly into her ear. _Everything's going to be all right, Bé. Sleep now, and when you wake it will all be all right._ With infinite tenderness, he reached under the coverlets and pulled her legs straight, guiding her body to lie flat on the bed, and then, careful to keep one hand placed lightly between her shoulders, he removed his shirt and tossed it carelessly aside.

Luke placed a soft kiss between her shoulder blades, then slowly brought his hands together, cradling the energy that gathered between them. After a moment, he ran his hands down her spine, channeling the energy into her body, first down her spine, then along her arms and legs from fingertips to toes. Every few moments he paused to cover her with his own body, and to whisper declarations of love, encouraging her to feel his heart beating with her own. Although she did not answer him directly, Luke could feel her response through the Force.

He pulled her over on top of him, relishing the feel of her weight on his chest, her arms draped loosely around his shoulders, his fingers laced delicately into her hair. Despite the fact that she had been heavily sedated, her eyelids fluttered as she called his name thickly.

"I'm here, Aubé," Luke whispered as his fingers traced lightly down her spine. He brushed his nose along her cheek. "I'm here…"

Trembling, Aubé reached up and entangled her fingers through his hair. "Tell me…" she mumbled slowly between deep breaths. "Tell… me…"

His hands smoothed down over her lower back as his own breathing became shallow. "Tell you what, Bé?" he breathed into her ear, pulling her closer.

"Not dreaming…" she replied, her voice a little stronger. "You're really here…" She placed a clumsy kiss on his temple.

Luke's breathing became heavier, deeper. It was almost like slipping into a meditative state. "Yes Bé, I'm really here…" His voice was low and hypnotic. "I'm here…"

She began to move against him, with him.

_Forgive me, Luke… Forgive me…_

I do… I do…

I wanted to tell you…

Our son forgives us, Aubé.

Tamaillin…

Yes, his name was Tamaillin.

He was your son.

He was our son, Aubé.

Yes, our son…

He forgives us, Bé… both of us. He wants us to be happy…

I loved him, Luke…

And he us, my love…

My love.

My love.

He was with her now, completely and utterly and not unlike the first time they had bonded. Images came to him and Luke felt as if he were riding a sail board through a windstorm on Tatooine.

He was with her the moment she first felt her children – their children - exert themselves with movement inside her belly.

She could smell the warm fresh air of the Lake country, and hear the birds calling on the island in the lake.

He shared the pain of their children's coming into the world, and Aubé's loneliness, wondering if her children would ever know their father.

She could feel the cold marble of the stone, the rough edges of the name _Padmé_ scratched into its polished surface.

He shared the pain, the fear as Tam grew ill… the unnamable agony as they felt his life force shed its mortal form…

The pain of the final goodbye, the joy at finding each other again…

They held each other close long into the night, loving deeply yet without the final _physical_ act of love. Instead, Luke made love to her soul, sealing the bond they had created that night so many years ago while Kampher's tea cooled on the nightstand, untouched.

**

When the call light flashed in the middle of the night, for once Toa was grateful for his Master's exhaustion – it would mean he could tend to the matter himself without disturbing him.

Toa pressed the answer button quickly, lest the Healer on the other end resorted to using a voice call. A call at this time of night – not the alarm but a simple summons – meant that it was a simple matter. A holo-net message from the Core, perhaps…

"Toa…" Kay's sleepy voice came from the bed. "Didn't I tell you to wake me if we received a call from the Yavin wing?"

"I thought you were asleep, Master," Toa sighed, exasperated. "I will go down – it doesn't appear to be an emergency."

"Help me dress, Toa," Kay'leb answered brusquely. "I feel that I must go down myself. We are too close to allow for _any_ mistakes, no matter how insignificant they may seem."

Toa bowed his head and then gathered together Kay'leb's robes and tunic, biting back the thought that perhaps things were not going as smoothly as his Master would have wished.


	17. Chapter 17

_What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life –  
to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories. ~George Eliot_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias  
Chapter 16**

He had worked through the night, analyzing and reanalyzing the results of the test, and Kay'leb was exhausted and more than a little frustrated. The chair that he occupied groaned in protest as once again, he leaned over the data tapes, almost as if he were willing them to grant him back his sight.

_What is the connection?_ he thought angrily. _Why can I SEE it?_

A familiar, reassuring hand placed itself on his shoulder. "Kaysa," Toa's voice whispered in his ear. "The results won't change no matter how many times you run the tests, and you _must_ be well rested before you meet with…" Here he hesitated. "The Yavin staff is behind you in all of this, as in all things, but there is the subject of the family, especially your sister and her Yayso – the Jedi Skywalker – to deal with."

Kay'leb grasped Toa's hand reassuringly. "By the time Bé and Master Skywalker wake – which I don't expect will happen before midday meal in any case – my niece will have been moved back to another part of the Healing center."

Toa's eyes opened wide as he turned the chair around so that his master faced him. "Kaysa, are you sure? Do you really think she's stable enough to allow them to see her?" Toa pulled Kay'leb's weary head close to his chest. Kay'leb sighed heavily as his hands slid bonelessly off the arms of the chair.

"I don't have a choice, my friend." Kay'leb mumbled into his tunic as Toa began kneading his shoulders. "We are so close to…" he trailed off in a groan as Toa found a particularly sensitive spot. "We can't let there be any interruptions… any… interventions…"

"Yes Master," Toa murmured softly. "I will see that Aubé and Master Skywalker see Pemberian, and that our work remains uninterrupted."

"And the other Healing staff? Especially my mother?" Kay'leb's voice was low and soft. "Can you postpone the meeting till tonight?"

"Of course, Master." Toa replied soothingly. "I will have Healer Mouchard take care of this. And now my Kaysa, perhaps a different approach is needed…"

Toa began humming softly, lulling his Master and guiding him into a meditative trance. It was a gift particular to their bond, and Kay'leb slipped easily into the hypnotic state. After a few moments, Kay'leb felt calmer, energized, and he began to speak again.

"Show us the tapes of the results Toa. Let me _see_ them now."

"Even if he is the Master Healer of this facility, he's still my son," Kampher told the younger Healer who escorted her down the passageway. "And you can tell him that I need to speak to him – I expect to speak to him – at first meal." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Moving my granddaughter about in all hours of the night, being as tight lipped and as esoteric as any Jedi Master of the Old Republic…"

"I apologize, Master," the other Healer, a young Twi'lek named Oshure, replied in his soft voice. "Master Kay'leb said that he was not to be disturbed this morning, under any circumstances." He bowed deeply as they reached the entrance to Pem's room. "I must leave you, Master. I was told to escort you here and to hurry back…" He trailed off anxiously, and before Kam could question him further, he had vanished down the passageway.

_It doesn't matter for now,_ Kampher thought to herself as she entered the room. _I'll speak to him in the evening in any case._

"Gran-mere?" came a soft sleepy voice from the bed. "Where's my Ma-mere?"

A sense of blessed relief washed over Kampher as she leaned over the bed and lightly placed her hand on her granddaughter's forehead.

"She's coming, Pem," Kam reassured her gently.

"And Pay-pa too? I want my Pay-pa too, Gran-mere…"

Kampher closed her eyes and reached into the Force, then furrowed her brow.

_Something's… changed…_ she realized. _It's almost as if…_

"Gran-mere?"

Kampher smiled at her granddaughter. "They'll be here soon, Pem. I know that they can't wait to see you too."

When Luke awoke the next morning, not only was he surprised at the lateness of the hour, but the fact that Aubé was still sleeping, even after he had showered and dressed.

"Bé?" he murmured as he climbed onto the bed and gently nuzzled her ear, taking great pains to brush her cheek with the bristles on his chin. "Bé, they brought us first meal, and left word that we can see Pem this morning after we eat."

"Pem?" Aubé replied thickly, her eyelids fluttering. "Luke… where's Pem?"

Luke kissed her forehead gently. _Gods Kay'leb,_ he thought. _What did you do to her?_

"Pem?" Aubé said a little more strongly, struggling to get up. "Where is my daughter? Luke?"

With infinite tenderness, Luke took her into his arms. He could feel her awareness fading and becoming cloudy through the Force, even as she struggled against it.

"My baby… Luke… I want…"

"She's safe, Aubé," Luke crooned softly. "You'll see her soon."

Luke felt a spike in the Force as Aubé made a mighty effort to clear her head.

"No!" she cried out suddenly, pushing herself forward. "I want to see her _now_!" With a mighty effort, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Fortunately, Luke had the foresight to catch her as she nearly slid off.

"Don't try to stop me, Luke," Aubé gasped. "I'll crawl… if I have to…"

"You won't have to, Bé," Luke assured her as he wrapped a blanket around her bare shoulders and chest. "You won't have to…"

Carefully, Luke made his way to the other side of the bed and then scooped her up into his arms.

Aubé draped her arms around his neck loosely. "Making a habit of this, Skywalker?" she mumbled wearily, leaning her head into his chest as her eyes closed.

He chuckled warmly. "At least we're not swinging across a chasm, being shot at by the Emperor's finest."

"Another bed-time story, Red Leader?"

"Another bed-time story," Luke agreed readily. "Something to share with our grandchildren."


	18. Chapter 18

_Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.  
"Pooh!" he whispered.  
"Yes, Piglet?"  
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.  
"I just wanted to be sure of you." ~ A.A. Milne _

***

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias, Chapter 17**

To some, they made a strange sight wandering through the hallways of the Healing center with Luke carrying Aubé wrapped carefully in a blanket. It wasn't so much the fact of the man carrying his young woman though the passages; the sight in and of itself was not uncommon. It was the almost ethereal calm that the Jedi Master wore like a well loved cloak.

"Bé, we're almost there," Luke whispered in her ear. "Are you awake?"

When she didn't answer, Luke kissed her forehead lightly. Perhaps just being in the room with Pem would be enough.

A nod to the Healer standing watch at the door granted them access and a welcome cry of joy greeted his ears.

"Pay-pa!" Pemberian croaked from her bed, causing Kampher and Schurke to look up. "Pay-pa and Ma-mere!"

"Luke!" Schurke called out softly as he struggled to his feet, as Kam carefully took Pem into her arms, fully aware that attempts to keep the squirming little girl down on the bed would be counterproductive.

"Pem?" Aubé asked muddily from Luke's arms. "Pemberian?"

With Schurke's help, Luke placed Aubé into the chair nearest to the bed and Kampher lowered their daughter into her arms, mindful of the expanses of tubing that dripped fluids into her weakened system.

"Ma-mere?" Pem whispered softly from her mother's arms. "Are you like the people in the sleeping room?"

Luke cast Kampher a puzzled look, but Kam only shook her head. _I don't know what she's talking about either,_ she seemed to say.

"Pem?" Aubé repeated a bit more clearly. "Pem… how are you feeling my little one?"

"Better," Pemberian answered emphatically. "I thought you were in the sleeping room with the others! But I didn't see you there…"

Luke gently stroked the top of his daughter's head. "Others?" He asked.

Pemberian scowled. "Malak and Sommiel and Coh and lots of other people!" She insisted, snuggling into Aubé's light embrace.

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Pem?" Aubé murmured softly as she started rocking her daughter back and forth. "We haven't seen them in a long time." She failed to see her mother and father exchange a look, Luke caught it, notwithstanding. He pursed his lips, but said nothing.

"I wasn't dreaming then, Ma-mere!" Pem whimpered as her hand crept up to her mouth and her eyelids drooped. "I saw them _before_ Toa was bad and made me go to sleep!"

"You've been very sick," Luke leaned down to touch his forehead against her own, which was blessedly cool. "Perhaps Toa thought you needed to sleep."

"Like Tam?" Pem asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Aubé's embrace became stronger as she held their daughter close. "Tam went to sleep one day and now I only see him when I dream. Tam said I was getting better though, Pay-pa!"

Luke swallowed hard, so intent on hearing his daughter's words that he failed to notice that Kampher and Schurke had slipped out the door, leaving them alone together. "You _are_ getting better," Luke replied softly. "I don't think your brother would have told that to you if it wasn't true."

He chased the thoughts of Obi-Wan and his _'certain point of view'_ away. _No, we will not lose our daughter,_ Luke thought to himself. _If the Healers here can't help her, I'll take her to Coruscant if I have to._ But he didn't think it would be necessary, now.

"Ma-mere?"

"Yes Pem?" Aubé replied tenderly, the memory of her lost son having been reconciled at last.

"I want to go to sleep now. Will you and Pay-pa be here when I wake?"

Luke pulled a chair up close to them, and sat. "Of course we will," he answered. "Both your Ma-mere and your Pay-pa, we'll be here with you."

"Gran-mere wants to talk to you, Pay-pa," Pemberian said sleepily. "But I want you to stay here with us!"

_Duty or family. Duty or family. Always the same choice to be made…_

"Pay-pa?"

"I'll see your Gran-mere in a little while, little pilot," Luke said at last. "Now, go to sleep, like your Ma-mere has done."

"Not like Ma-mere," Pem corrected him. "Ma-mere is sleeping because Kay-Kay told Toa to make her sleepy so she doesn't make herself sick like she did when Tam died. I just want to sleep because I feel safe now. I'm not going to die now, though."

"No, you're not," Luke murmured agreeably, as he felt Aubé take his hand. "Everything is going to be all right."

"Promise?"

"I do."

"Schurke, where are you going?" Kampher called to her husband as he lurched down the hall way. "She's a sick little girl – she must have been dreaming…"

Schurke rounded on his wife, "Kampher Lutador Canaille! You of all people should know that she probably _wasn't_! She's the daughter of one of the most gifted Force users in a generation!"

Kampher grabbed her husbands arm and hissed in his ear. "And if she wasn't dreaming? Did it occur to you that the _sleeping room_ may have been where they are keeping the lost?"

Schurke placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kam, those children supposedly disappeared _weeks_ ago! They were perfectly healthy when they vanished! That's not the same as the ones that have come in and died from… from it!"

Kampher thinned her lips, worry mixed with concern painting her face. For a long moment, she kept silent.

"Kam?" Schurke asked in his _don't hide things from me_ voice. "What is it?"

"I… I don't know for sure if there is even a connection," she said at last, her voice becoming a whisper. "But I do know that this isn't the safest place to talk about such things. Take me home and we'll discuss it over mid day meal."

Schurke arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Not here? Not in our own son's Healing facility?"

Kampher leaned in close to her husband. "Do you love me?"

Schurke sighed. "Implicitly."

"Then take me home," Kam replied. "I'll explain things there…"


	19. Chapter 19

_We all grow up with the weight of history on us.  
Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains  
as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge  
hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~Shirley Abbott_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 18

Unlike Aubé and Pem, Luke did not truly sleep. Instead, he slipped into an easy meditation, focusing on his daughter's cryptic words.

_I saw them…in the sleeping room._

He delved deeper into the Force, trying to find an answer, but the deeper he went, the harder it was to see. It was as if he were walking into an ever darkening room as the sun was setting. It was an experience like nothing he had ever encountered.

_He doesn't want you to know, Father._ Tamaillin's voice echoed through his mind. _He can't see the answers himself – He's blind to them…_

Who, Tam? Luke asked, knowing that it wasn't _really_ his son speaking to him, but the Living Force itself. Still, he took what comfort it offered.

_The Darkness blinds his spirit,_ A new voice said. _It never lets go of people who have tasted its power easily, my son._

This voice, unlike Tam's, seemed to come from behind him instead of from all around, and in his mind's eye, he turned to face it. Oddly, instead of a single visage, there was a foursome before him. It was if the holo that graced the Canaille's sitting room had taken on life. Kampher and Schurke stood well back, looking grave, while his father and the woman called Gris came forward.

_It blinds them,_ the young Anakin said again.

_Kay'leb?_ Luke asked, incredulous. _Kay'leb is behind this?_

_He doesn't remember,_ said Gris. _He cannot see the ship any longer…_

_What ship?_ Luke turned to the others, who were already beginning to fade. Luke was dimly aware of another presence – a medi droid – entering the room. Intent at the matter at hand, Luke chose to ignore it.

_Aubé will remember, Luke._ Kampher's image told him softly. _Aubé will remember. As will I…_

_Remember what? What about the ship?_ Luke asked, feeling exasperated. _Please, just tell me something!_

_We'll tell you one more thing before you wake, then,_ the image of young Schurke said with a lopsided smile.

_I still don't understand!_ Luke cried out, aware that he was slipping out of his meditation and back to the present.

_Ask Kampher, Luke,_ Schurke's voice echoed through his mind. _Ask Kampher about the 'ship'…_

The next thing Luke knew, not only had he ignited his Lightsaber, but he was being roundly dressed down by the medi-droid that was now missing an extension arm. On the floor, along with the remains of the missing extension, was an un-dispensed hypo-spray.

"What is going on in here?" A bothan Healer burst into the room angrily. "Master Skywalker…"

Almost as if sensing its chance to escape without further damage, the medi-droid rushed by the Healer, squealing indignantly.

Casting his eyes on the limp forms of Aubé and Pem, Luke grew angry himself. "I should ask the same thing!" He snapped. "What did you do?" He took Aubé's limp hand in his own, and then touched her forehead. Getting no reaction, he did the same again to Pem who moaned softly, then snuggled down into her mother's breast.

The Healer shrugged, indifferent to Luke's furious glare. "It was time for young Pemberian's treatment, and Healer Toa has not lifted the sedation order."

"I wasn't aware that order also applied to _me_ as well!" Luke snapped as the bothan chewed on, uncaring. "How long…"

"Perhaps 10 hours or so," she interrupted him dispassionately. "If you had let the medi-droid do its work, you would never have noticed.

"10 _hours_?" Luke echoed to the empty doorway, for the Healer had unceremoniously taken her leave. He turned to look at Aubé and Pem once again and came to a decision. "Sleep well, my hearts," he murmured softly as he covered them with a blanket. "I'll be back before you wake."

"So you think that our granddaughter actually _saw_ the missing people?" Schurke asked, picking at a piece of fruit. "Not as s Force vision, but really saw them?" He sounded dubious.

"It could have been a Force vision Schurke," Kampher replied, frustration evident in her voice. "But if it was, then she's showing more Force sensitivity that I would have thought we would ever see, especially in one so young."

"Look at her parentage, Kam," Schurke said gently. "Her mother is half Dathorian, her father, the most potent Force user in a generation! Of course she's going to be strong in the Force! It's no wonder she can speak to the dead…"

"But she didn't _speak_ to them Schurke!" Kampher corrected him anxiously. "She says she saw them – she named her missing age mates!"

"She misses them, Kam," Schurke said gently. "And only the gods and Kay'leb know what those treatments are doing to her."

"Kay'leb would never hurt Pem, Schurke," Kampher said quietly. "I shouldn't even have to say that."

"You're right, Kam," Schurke said irritably as he rose. "You _shouldn't_." His com beeped, demanding his attention.

"Yes?" He snapped.

"Your Honor, Sir?" A timid voice spoke from the other end. "I'm afraid your presence is required at the Magistrates offices."

"Required?"

""Requested then, Sir," the voice replied, sounding anxious and almost insufferably young. "But they are asking all of the Elder statesmen of Corellia to come to a special meeting."

Schurke sighed as Kampher looked worried. "What is it, Schurke?"

Schurke waved her off momentarily. "Why? What's so important that you need to call in a full assembly?"

"Sir…" the voice on the other end started to break. "Sir…"

"What is it, young one?" Schurke's voice became low, and soft. "You can tell me."

They could hear an audible swallow on the other end of the line. "It's Tarkin's, sir… Tarkin's has reached the Core."


	20. Chapter 20

_The truth is rarely pure and never simple. - Oscar Wilde_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias, Chapter 19**

Luke arrived at the Canaille household just as the escort speeder left, taking Schurke to the Corellian Senate. Almost as if she had been expecting him, Kampher waited in the doorway, her features looking strained.

"Come in, Luke," Kampher said sadly. "You probably know this, but things are worse."

"You can say that again," Luke replied through gritted teeth. "My…my…" He stumbled over the words. "I mean Aubé… is a victim of your sedative-happy son! She's not even lucid enough to know what's going on! I had messages in our room that have vanished!"

Kampher regarded him carefully, and then a new light began to shine in her eyes. Wordlessly, she gestured for him to come in.

Delicious smells of a hot meal greeted Luke, almost as warm and inviting as Aubé's embrace, and as Luke sat at the dining table, he found a plate of food placed before him.

"Master," Said Luke, reverting to the honorific. "I appreciate the meal but I need to talk to you!"

"Eat, Luke," Kampher said softly, not taking her eyes off of him. "We can speak more easily if your stomach is sated."

With great reluctance, Luke took a bite of food, and to his surprise, it _did_ make him feel a little better. What was disconcerting was the Jedi Master's gaze. Her eyes seemed to dance with a new light, despite the severity etched on the rest of her features.

"You bonded with Aubé last night, didn't you," she said. It wasn't a question.

Luke squelched the impatience that rose from within, and the angry frustration that came with it.

"You were a student of Master Yoda, weren't you Master?" Luke sighed over another bite of food. "_Patience, you must learn young Jedi, hmmm?_ Luke croaked in a fair imitation of the late Jedi Master. "He always spoke of patience…"

"Yes," Kampher replied with a ghost of a smile. "Luke, just tell me, that I'm right. You and my daughter…"

Another bite of food, and Luke realized that as the food vanished from his plate, so did the muddiness of his thoughts. He could think clearly again. He nodded briefly, which seemed to be enough, and then finished the meal in a comfortable silence. Kampher poured them each a cool glass of fresh water.

"Better?" Kampher said at last. "Luke, you were experiencing the residual effects of your bonding with Aubé – the sedation she was subjected to affected you as well. However, while she does not need to eat right now, you did…"

Luke gave a little bow. "Yes, you are right, but I feel much better now, thanks." He swallowed hard. "Master, you said things were worse now?"

Kampher sighed. "Yes, yes they are."

"And?"

"Tarkin's," Kampher said slowly. "It's made it to the Core."

Luke paled, and then swallowed hard. "Any casualties?" he croaked then felt the soothing balm of relief as Kam shook her head.

"But there's the fact that it's made it to the Core, after all this time…"

_The ship… Kam will remember the ship_

"Master Kampher," Luke began slowly. "What do you know about a _ship_?"

Perhaps it was something in his voice, or the look on his face, but now it was Kampher who paled. She could only stare at Luke wide eyed.

"Who told you about it?" she asked, and then considered. _Of course, the bond…_ she thought.

"All I know is _the ship is the key,_ Luke said adamantly. "What is it?"

Kampher thinned her lips. "Luke, the ship was scrapped many years ago – there's no possible way that the virus could… unless…"

"Unless?"

"Luke, do you remember that jeweler on the Treasure Ship Row? He was selling those bracelets that we couldn't pull Pem away from…"

"Until she spied the sweet stall, yes." Luke agreed. "But how?"

Kampher leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "I don't know why I didn't _see_ it!" She murmured. "Why _any of us_ didn't see it."

"See what, Master?"

"Luke, I was with the Healer's team that met the ship – Even before the destruction of Alderraan, Corellia was a haven for refugees of all kinds – people who were trying to get away from the Empire's tyranny. We thought this one was no different. Sometimes they landed safely. This one did not."

Luke tented his fingers underneath his chin, listening intently.

"We were wrong," Kampher sighed. "This wasn't an ordinary refugee ship. It was a slaver ship, transferring prisoners from the Death Star. We didn't know that it was _intended_ to land on Corellia…"

"A plague ship," Luke said thoughtfully, as Kampher nodded.

"Schurke managed to break into the computer data banks and decode the orders." Kam continued softly. "The slaves were to be released and spread out among the population…"

"…taking the disease with them."Luke murmured. "But you said that the ship hadn't landed safely? What about the passengers and crew?"

"There was no crew to speak of," Kampher continued. "The passengers were all dead; killed in the crash. The only survivor was the captain, who had gone mad." She grew quiet.

"What happened to him, Kam?" Luke pressed gently.

"We took him to the old Healing center," Kam replied at last. "That's when the deaths began, starting with the captain."

"And the ship?"

"I thought – we thought – it had been scrapped; that all the pieces had been blasted into space!" Kampher placed her face in her hands, and uncharacteristically, began to cry. "We could have stopped this! _I_ could have stopped this, if only I hadn't been too blind to see…"

Knowing that arguing with Kam at this moment would be pointless, Luke did the only thing he could do. He put his arms around the Healer and held her while she expunged her soul of grief and self-inflicted guilt.


	21. Chapter 21

_Remember, we all stumble, every one of us.  
That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. ~Emily Kimbrough  
_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 20

"Master," Toa ventured carefully, fearful of Kay'leb's quick temper and even sharper tongue. "Master, they have called for you again."

This time, only a grunt. Encouraged, Toa tried once again. He gently placed his hand on Kay'leb's shoulder. "Master? Kay-sa?"

Kay'leb whipped around, cloudy eyes as dark and stormy as a thunderhead. "Toa, I said to tell them that I cannot possibly leave the Healing center right now! There's too much work to be done!"

"Master…" Toa pressed, not to be put off. "Master, _It_ has reached the Core. There are outbreaks on Coruscant. There is talk of quarantining the city… of martial law being declared."

Kay'leb cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. "I think you missed your calling, my friend," he said softly, taking Toa's hand. "You should have joined the dramatic troops of Ord Mantel instead of becoming a Healer. What you hear is only fear being given voice by the Elders. The outbreak on Coruscant is small and already well contained, although they do not understand completely what they are facing."

He grew thoughtful, while Toa shuffled back and forth in place like a restless Bantha.

"My niece remains stable?"

Toa nodded. "As have the rest of the sick– the ones we caught early enough – who were placed in the first ward. Healer Fiore gave me the report before I came to you."

Kay'leb absently stretched out his hand towards a colorful bloom that rested in a pot next to his desk. As if sensing his presence, the blossom shivered.

So did Toa.

Toa swallowed hard, hoping Kay'leb wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, he did.

"Toa," Kay'leb sighed. "When will you learn to stop acting the old maid around my Nursery Bloom?"

"I… I'm sorry, Kay-sa," Toa mumbled as he backed away. "It is difficult to separate the stories from your research."

"The _facts_, Toa," Kay'leb corrected him gently. "The Nursery Bloom thrives on _sharing_ energy! I promise you that the plant is not going to 'suck out your soul'!" He began to laugh. "But if it disturbs you so, we shall leave it for now. I believe it is time for another meeting of the staff."

Visibly relieved, Toa straightened up and handed Kay'leb his walking stick.

**

After sending a message to Leia back on Coruscant, this time it was Luke who made tea for Kampher. She took it gratefully.

"What are you going to do, Luke?" She asked softly. "When Pem is well? Will you stay with us?"

When Luke lowered his eyes, Kampher smiled. "No, there's too much of your father in you to be rooted in on place like a tangle vine."

"I love her, Kam." Luke sighed as he ran his hand through his sandy hair. "I love them both…"

"… But?"

"But I don't know what's best for them." Luke concluded, tracing his fingers over the stubble of his chin. His hands seemed to have a life of their own, refusing to stay still, even for a moment. He found himself wishing for the presence of R-2. At least then he could occupy them with _something._

Kampher only offered another enigmatic smile as she rose to answer the flashing com.

_Is that smile something that comes with age in a Jedi?_ Luke wondered fretfully, balancing his lightsaber between his fingers. _Obi-Wan had it… Master Yoda had it… Is that why Leia sighs in exasperation every time I try to explain something to her? Do I have it?_

"Kam? Sweetheart, are you there?" Schurke's voice came over the com line. It was light and pleasant, and yet had an undercurrent of worry.

"I'm here, Schurke. We're here."

"All of you?" Schurke asked, now there was no mistaking the anxiety in his voice. "Luke? Aubé? Pemberian?"

"Master Canaille?" Luke rose to join Kampher next to the com center. "Aubé and Pem are at the Healing Center."

"I don't have a lot of time," Schurke interrupted suddenly, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "They're calling us back now – But Kam, I really think that _Toboo needs to take a walk_. Do you understand?"

Kampher knitted her eyebrows. "Schurke?"

"He needs to _see the flowers_ Kam, or in this case, _the flowers need to come to him_…and it needs to be done soon. Now if possible. Yesterday if not."

A light seemed to dawn on Kampher's face. "Yes, Schurke," She answered softly with a smile. "I understand."

"They're calling us back, Kam," Schurke said in a normal, if a little overly bright voice. "Don't hold last meal for long."

"We won't," Kampher assured him as the com signed off in her hand. She turned to Luke, gazing at him thoughtfully.

After a moment, she seemed to come to a decision. "Yes, Schurke's old robes will work…"

"Master? You aren't going to leave me hanging again are you?" Luke sighed. "What did Schurke mean by 'Toboo needs to see the flowers?' Wasn't Toboo…"

"Your father's nickname, yes," Kampher replied anxiously as she veritably raced past him, her hair flying behind her like streamers in a breeze.

"More important, Luke, was the second part…"

"…taking him to see the flowers, yes. But I still don't…"

"It was a code between us back when your father was in the Healing Center. We used it when we would smuggle him out to meet… her," Kampher replied, buried in the depths of a small closet. "We would say that I was taking him to go see the flowers."

"But Schurke said that we need to…"

"Bring the flowers to you, yes," Kam called back, pulling and discarding various items on to the couch.

"Let me guess, we need to get Bé and Pem?"

"Out of the Healing center, yes… there you are, you old womp rats!" she cried triumphantly, pulling out a set of hooded black robes.

"And you have a plan, Master?" Luke asked as Kampher returned from the depths of the closet.

In her sparkling eyes – so reminiscent of Aubé's – Luke saw his answer.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 21**

_"The stones themselves are thick with history,  
and those cats that dash through the alleyways must surely be the ghosts of the famous dead in feline disguise."  
Erica Jong _

_"Remember, Luke,"_ Kampher had whispered as they entered the Healing center. _"Follow my lead."_

Luke had nodded dumbly, and to escape the suffocating heat of wearing not one but _two_ sets of robes, he immersed himself into the Force. There was an undercurrent of tension that had been noticeably absent before. _Something's changed_…

When they reached the door to Pem's room they were greeted not by one of the apprentice healers, but by a member of the Corellian regular army.

_Curious…_ Luke thought. Kampher however, seemed unfazed.

"We are here to move Pemberian to another ward on the orders of Master Healer Canaille," Kampher stated with quiet elegance. My guests and I…"

_Guests?_

"Guests?" the young guard echoed faintly, yet his eyes remained clear and unwavering.

Kampher's voice took on a harder edge. "My _guests_, Healers from Esh-Col, Master Healers Poulin and Brith." She waved her hand ever so imperceptibly, like a cool breeze on a spring day. "They have taken a vow of silence, and must be allowed to work _undisturbed._ Do you understand?"

"Undisturrrrrrbed," the young man echoed faintly, drawing out the word. His face virtually melted into an expression of pure bliss. Limply he reached for the door control and did not resist when Kampher brushed it away.

_Undisturrrrrrbed…._

Wordlessly, Luke followed Kampher into the room, thankful that the deep cowl hid the fact that he was grinning.

Shedding the cloaks while Kampher tested a syringe that she removed from her Healer's bag, Luke approached his sleeping loved ones. He kissed Pemberian on the forehead and brushed Aubé's cheek with the bristles on his chin.

"You'll have to hold her down, Luke," Kam murmured as she gently lifted Pem from Aubé's arms and placed her, still sleeping, back into the bed. "This counter-drug is fast."

Luke grunted an acknowledgement as he lightly braced Aubé's shoulders. "We're ready," he said.

Even with the split second warning from the Force, Luke was so surprised that he reacted too late to wholly prevent it.

With a force and accuracy honed from many forgotten years in the Rebellion, Aubé's fist made contact with Luke's jaw, sending him reeling. He hit the wall, uttering a very un-Master-like 'Omph' as the wind was knocked from him. For an instant, he saw not only stars, but the entire system of Corellia.

In an instant, Aubé was on her knees at his side.

"Oh Gods! Luke I'm sorry!" she gasped, taking his face in her hands. "I – I…"

"S'ok, Nails," he mumbled rubbing his sore jawbone. "I don't think it's broken."

"We don't have a lot of time, children," Kampher said softly, but with an edge to her voice. "Aubé, are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I'm alright… I think," she replied as she helped Luke to his feet. "A little shaky, but I'm alright."

"Can you deactivate the security code?"

"I built it myself, Mother," Aubé murmured as she accessed the security panel. She turned to Luke who was smoothing the top of Pem's sleeping head, and smiled.  
"Some things we never forget."

She cursed like a soldier as a spark flew from the panel, causing Luke to grin and Kampher to cast her daughter a disapproving look; to neither of which Aubé paid the slightest attention. "Thick fingers," she grumbled, trying another circuit. After a few more tense moments she closed the panel with a satisfactory thump and turned around to face Luke and her mother.

"We have ten minutes before the systems check finds the error."

"Aubé, Luke, put the robes on. I'll carry Pem," Kampher said briskly, reaching down to take Pem into her arms again. "Just follow me… do either of you have any questions that cannot wait until we get home?"

"Just one," Luke grinned as he helped Aubé into the other set of black robes.

Kampher arched an eyebrow. "What is it? Quickly now!"

He drew the four of them into a loose embrace. Leaning his forehead against Aubé's, looking deeply her eyes, he murmured, "Which one of us is Poulin, and which one of us is Brith?"

"Master, what are we going to do?" Toa murmured as he roughly massaged Kay'leb's shoulders, anxiety rampant in his voice. "The representatives from the Senate seemed quite adamant about the fact that they won't be happy with reports buried in the medical equivalent of Bantha wool bales for long."

"Toa," Kay'leb groaned. "Unless you have some hidden wookiee ancestry, I assure you that no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to remove my arms from their sockets."

"Master," Toa sighed. "Will you ever tire of the jokes? This is a serious matter that needs to be addressed!"

"Everything is under control, Toa," Kay'leb interrupted him sharply. "Everything."

This time Toa would not be swayed so easily. "Kay'leb," he said softly, resting his chin on his companion's shoulder. "There are _military guards_ in _our_ Healing center…"

"A minor concession."

"The people outside – the non Healers – they will look for something, _someone_, to blame."

Kay'leb took Toa's hand gently. "Are you afraid, my friend?"

"Only for you," Toa replied, a slight shake in his voice. "Kay'leb… we can… we _must_ leave here."

A heavy sigh greeted this suggestion.

"You know we can't do that, Toa." Kay'leb said heavily. "We just need more time."

The com link at Kay'leb's side buzzed urgently, demanding his attention, but it was Toa who retrieved it.

"Yes?"

"Masters!" The excited voice came from the other end. "You need to come down to the first ward! Quickly!"

"What is it, Fiore?" Kay'leb asked, unperturbed in both tone and body. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"The patients!" The Healer cried. "They are _responding_…"


	23. Chapter 23

_It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. ~ Mark Twain ~_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias,**

Chapter 22

Healer Fiore carefully made her way to the First Healing room, ever mindful of the uninvited and decidedly unwelcome presence of the Corellian Guard that had intruded upon the Healer's domain...

She was concerned – no, concerned was too light a word; she was _terrified_, if she were to be truly honest, not for herself but for Master Kay'leb.

_He's so close to finding a cure,_ she thought. _And all this time, the government has left him – left us – alone! They trusted us! What could have happened to change that now?_

Unlike Master Kay'leb, Fiore had been born before the rise of the Empire. Her family had refused to surrender her to the Jedi, and it had only been through the teachings of Master Kay'leb'smother that she had learned to use the Force at all. Thus, like all the Healing staff, Fiore was willing to lay down her life for the Master.

She could only pray to the Gods that it would not come to that.

Gathering herself, Fiore straightened herself and approached the entrance to the Healing Room. She briefly nodded at the two guards posted at the doorway, asserting what little authority she possessed.

"I am here to collect the Master Healer, at the behest of the Representative Council," she said firmly. "I cannot be delayed."

To her relief the guards allowed her to pass unhindered, and it was only when the door safely closed behind her that Fiore dropped the mask of perfect composure.

"Masters!" she cried, nearly throwing herself at Kay'leb and Toa's feet. "They wish to see you right now!"

"Healer Fiore, calm yourself," said Kay'leb gently, offering Fiore his hand even as Toa tightened his grip on his arm. "_Who_ wishes to see me?"

"The Governor's Representatives! A whole delegation of them!" Healer Fiore hissed, rising. "They wish to speak to one of the Master Healers right away, and I cannot raise Master Kampher on the com!"

"I'll go," said Toa sharply to Fiore, then with a considerably softer expression, he turned to Kay'leb. "Kay-sa, will you be all right without my assistance?"

Kay'leb gently hit Toa's leg with his walking stick. "Go on, Toa. Stall them as long as you can. Remind them that I am not the hale and hearty young man that I once was – that speed is not my greatest strength – I'll be along as soon as I am able. Healer Fiore will stay and attend me."

"Are you sure, Master?" Toa pressed, concerned.

"Yes, Toa," Kay'leb reassured him softly. "Hurry – I sense that we don't have nearly enough time – Tell them anything, just keep them out of _here_."

With a short bow that was little more than an abrupt nod, Toa wordlessly excused himself.

As Kampher lead them inexorably through the passageways of the Healing center, Luke was aware of two things. At each corner, down each hallway,, at least two members of the Corellian regular army either stood watch or patrolled the hallway. Although the Healers and their Padawans gave the guards a wide berth, it was apparent that their very presence was an unwelcome distraction to the work of the Healing Center.

And then there was Aubé herself.

Perhaps it was an after-effect of the stimulant Kampher had administered, or perhaps just the fact that she was _herself_ again, Aubé's presence – _Nails' presence_ –sang in the Force.

Strength. Self confidence. _Passion._

Images of the beach and of the sick room on Coruscant… images of a hundred other places where they had made love, or could make love rose into his mind. He quashed them quickly only to have them creep back, like Pemberian from behind her mother's skirts. Just when he thought he had pushed those errant thoughts aside for good, Aubé reached out and touched his fingertips with her own.

Luke fairly jumped, nearly bumping into Kampher, who only picked up the pace. He chanced a quick glance at Aubé to see whether she was aware of exactly how uncomfortable she was making him, only to find her grinning at him from the depths of her cowl.

Luke only rolled his eyes as they followed the Healer down the deserted hallway.

"We're almost there." Kampher breathed a sigh of relief, and then stopped short.

_"No…"_

If Toa was surprised to see Kampher flanked by two hooded (and unmistakable) Force users, apparently attempting to carry off one of his patients, he did not show it.

Instead he graciously excused himself from the Government delegation and approached her group.

Kampher handed the sleeping Pem over to her daughter._Go – go now!_ she gestured, but Toa raised his hand in supplication.

"Wait! A word, Madam Healer…" His voice was soft.

Kam raised her eyebrows. _Madam Healer?_ she thought with a trace of hope. Luke reached for his lightsaber. Aubé pulled Pem closer to her chest as they backed into the corridor and out of sight of the group of delegates.

"Let us pass…" Luke said softly, "I don't want to fight…"

Toa wrinkled his nose in distain at the idea, then quickly cast a glance behind him.

"Toa," Aubé began.

"I will ask you once more," said Luke. Now his voice was low and dangerous. "Let us pass!"

Toa's reply was short. "Where are you taking them?"

"Home," Kampher said quietly. "Toa… what's going on?"

Toa nodded, ignoring the question. "The south passage is safer. You won't be seen there. Take Pem and go – quickly!"

"Toa?" Aubé whispered. "What…"

"Master Kampher, there's not a lot of time," Toa hissed, ignoring Aubé's question. "You must go _now_! Take them to safety. I will send Fiore to you… she will explain if she can. Now _go!_"

Aubé bristled, still ready to fight, but she found herself being unceremoniously pushed down the corridor by her mother with Luke only a heartbeat behind.

_I have your back, Nails,_ the thought echoed in the back of her mind. _Just like in that cantina on Sullust. Move it!_

With that, the trio made their escape while Toa turned back to the delegation, his face the perfect mask of a genial host.

When the four of them reached the outside, they quickly blended themselves into the general populace that was milling around the Healing center. Although the crowd offered them the security of relative anonymity, Luke sensed a definite feeling of unease… suspicion… and growing anger.

"I know, Luke," Kampher murmured from under the hood of her cloak, as if she could hear his thoughts. "But for now, we must keep Pem safe."

"From what, Mother?" Aubé asked, holding Pemberian close to her breast, unwittingly beginning to shake. "What is going on here?" Concerned, Luke took Pem into his own arms, again forcing down the rush he felt when his hands met Aubé's.

"We must get you home, both of you," Kampher said, and although her voice was low and soft, Luke could detect an undercurrent of concern. "I have a speeder parked over here – thankfully it has blended in with the other delegate's transports and hasn't raised suspicions." She paused as Luke and Aubé climbed into it, mindful of their sleeping daughter. "Will you stay with them Luke?" She asked. "I will see you home and then return to the Healing center and get some real answers from my son."

"I can take care of Pem," Aubé growled, her eyes glittering. "You need Luke for this!"

"I can join her later, Nails," Luke said soothingly, following the Healer's lead. He could feel her energy spike and ebb through the Force. "_You_ need me."

"Aubé," Kam said slowly, touching her head lightly. "I had to give you a powerful stimulant to counter the sedation. You need time to even out… to regain your equilibrium…"

"I feel like I could – like I could run the breadth of the continent right now!" Aubé insisted. She jumped when Luke took her hand. Luke only winced slightly when she grasped his with an iron grip, crushing his fingers.

"When we get Pem into bed," Luke whispered in her ear, with only the slightest inflection of the Force. "I will stay with her, and you can run like a grasser on Haruun Kal, if you wish… but for now, we must _be calm, Bé… Be calm…_"  
Gradually, Aubé relaxed her hold on Luke's hand. Her head sank onto his shoulder as her breathing became slower and more even. Within minutes she was asleep again.

Luke cast Kampher a puzzled look. "Master, I thought you had countered the sedation?" He rubbed his aching jaw thoughtfully.

Kampher only shook her head apologetically.

"She'll be like this for a few hours at least, Luke." Kampher told him. "Until her body balances itself out. Will you be able to manage?"

Luke allowed himself a little laugh, casting his mind back briefly to his early involvement with the Rebellion, and dealing with the end results of drunken bar brawls – almost an eternity ago – Aubé and her fellow Corellian pilots, Han himself among them…

"We'll be just fine…"


	24. Chapter 24

_We are each given a block of marble when we begin a lifetime, and the tools to shape it into sculpture...  
We can drag it behind us untouched, we can pound it into gravel,  
We can shape it into glory. – Richard Bach, One_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 23

As Luke carried Pemberian up to her bed, he could still hear Aubé arguing with her mother downstairs.

_I need two or three hours at the most, daughter mine,_ Kam had told her. _I want to see your father first, and then I promise we'll find the answers together."_

Answers…

Luke sighed as Pem snuggled close to his chest. "What do you think, Pem?" he murmured softly as he pulled back the bed covers. "Sometimes it seems like we've been looking for answers forever."

"Pay-pa?" came the sleepy reply. "Ma-mere?"

"She'll be up in a moment, little pilot," Luke said softly as he laid her down in her bed. Impulsively, he removed his cloak and draped it over her, as if it would act as a surrogate for his love.

"Vitty?" Pem mumbled, even as she cuddled down into the cloak. "Pay-pa, where's Vitty?"

_Vitty?_

"Vitty – her toy Bantha," Aubé enlightened him as she leaned unsteadily in the doorway. "Kay'leb told her to call it Sha-vit… needless to say I shortened it to 'Vitty'."

"Where is it?" Luke was about to ask when unerringly Aubé reached for what looked like a bundle of rags on the shelf above Pem's bed. With only one eye, a single remnant of a curved horn and patches of clumpy wooly hair, it was a stretch of the imagination to call it a Bantha, but once it was placed in Pem's arms, the little girl finally went to sleep.

With a contented sigh, Aubé sank backwards into Luke's embrace, fitting as easily as a glove. He began to nuzzle her cheek affectionately.

"You came back for us," she whispered. "You stayed."

"Of course I did," Luke rumbled softly in her ear as his hands lightly roamed over her belly and thigh. "In case you didn't realize it, I do love you Aubé… and our daughter." A finger traced its way up to her heart and danced over it. Aubé shivered, and then tried to pull away.

"Luke, we need to talk – really talk – about our future." She turned to face him. "I want to bathe first, get my thoughts in order…"

"Second..." Luke corrected her gently, pulling her closer. "You want to bathe second."

"Second?" Aubé echoed, puzzlement evident in her voice, her face bare inches from his. "Luke, I don't – "

_understand?_ she was about to say, until Luke silenced her with a kiss.

Afterwards, they sat on the couch downstairs in a loose, but familiar embrace. Aubé had insisted that they were dressed this time, just in case Kampher sent for them early.

"Now we can talk about our future, Bé," Luke said contentedly, the restlessness that had plagued them both at least temporarily abated. "You know how I feel, but I need you to tell me what _you_ want, for yourself and our daughter.."

"Luke, I… I want to be with you, both of us do." Aubé said without preamble. "I want us to be a family…"

"…but... there's something bothering you," Luke finished for her. "And it's not only… only our lost son."

"You're a _Jedi_, Luke," Aubé said softly, leaning her head into his chest. "Jedi don't have families."

"According to whom?"

"It has always been the way," Aubé replied half-heartedly. "Since the Order was founded."

"That's the old way, Aubé," Luke reminded her gently. "It's not like that any more. There are Jedi all over the Galaxy. Not a lot, but some. They each train another… and then others…"

"But they don't bed their apprentices," Aubé sighed. "They don't have _families_!" She felt a low chuckle rise in Luke's chest as she caressed his chin.

He brushed her jaw line with his fingertip as blue eyes delved deeply into brown. "And you're telling me that your brother and Toa aren't both? Master, and apprentice? Companions? More?"

"It's not the same!" Aubé snorted, brushing his calf with her bare foot. "They are Healers – they're bonded – Kay needs Toa!"

"As I need you," Luke murmured huskily, bumping his nose against hers. He leaned closer, pushing her back down. "As I _want_ you…" He tipped his head down to kiss the hollow in her throat.

"But Luke," Aubé protested meekly. "I don't even know how to use the Force, not like you do."

"You will learn, Aubé," Luke told her quietly, raising his eyes to meet hers. "You, and Pem… and any _other_ children that may come our way…"

_Other children…_

"Wait, Luke!" Aubé gasped. She sat up quickly, pulling her shirt closed with one hand. "What if my mother sends for us?" She was still hesitant.

Luke closed his eyes, reaching into the Force to find Kampher. A smile graced his lips as he could almost hear her reply.

_You have time,_ her voice seemed to echo in his mind. _The delegation has left, I will see my son soon. Finish this… you've nearly won._

"We have time enough for this…" he murmured. "To… to decide…" He kissed her softly on the lips.

Aubé sighed, and then slowly reached into her satchel with her free hand, almost reluctantly. "I want to be with you, Luke. That much is true." Looking at the vial in her hand she said quietly, "but I can't take this forever! And what if it fails and I become pregnant again? What then? What if we're in the middle of a negotiation? Do I excuse myself saying that the baby is sitting on my bladder? What then?"

Her eyes widened as Luke gently pried the bottle from her fingertips and let it fall to the floor, unopened. He brought her palm to his lips, and kissed it gently.

"We excuse ourselves," Luke said simply, as a smile touched the corners of her lips

Aubé closed her eyes. "Luke, what if…"

"What if… what if… what if…" he sang softly, untangling her fingers from her shirt, opening it a bit further in the process. He kissed her collar bone, the space between her breast. He could feel her heart fluttering, her body beginning to tremble.

She gasped as he raised his head,the bristles on his chin brushed her cheek, and she wrapped her fingers in his hair, moaning his name softly.

_What if we left it to the Force to decide, Bé?_ he asked her internally. _When it's time for us to have more children, let the Force choose the time and place…_

Yes, we shall face it when it comes…

Together…

_I am yours…_


	25. Chapter 25

_Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago –  
the baby, the peacekeeper, the caretaker, the avoider....  
It doesn't seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we've traveled. ~Jane Mersky Leder_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 24

_They will recover, all of them,_ Kay'leb thought to himself as he reached for his staff. _A little more time is all they need._

The coterie of officials had left, taking with them the sense of security and self containment that the Healing center had enjoyed for so long. The only light that had come out of the situation was that his father, Schurke, had not been among them.

Kay'leb picked mournfully at the small meal Toa had sent to him, and then pushed the plate away uneaten.

The brightly colored bloom of the Nursery flower shivered and turned its head to him, as if chasing an unseen light. Kay'leb absently stretched out his hand, caressing the air before it. Through the Force, he could almost hear it crooning to him. Normally he could be soothed by its responsiveness to him, but today he could only take minimal comfort.

Reluctantly, and with more care than usual, Kay'leb made his way to a small, disused corner of his office. On the shelf, buried in a myriad of similar items, a crystal statuette glowed dimly, yet all the brighter in the darkened room. With a heavy sigh Kay'leb gently picked the piece, regarding it through the Force.

_How quickly people are willing to turn against you,_ he thought, hefting the weighty prism in his hand. _In one breath, they will elevate you to the stars, reveling in your successes as if they were their own; in the next, they'll tear you down to build themselves up again on the ashes of your folly…_

The sound of the prism shattering against the wall was deafening, and as the crystal shards scattered down like rain Kay'leb slumped down onto his desk and wept.

"Hello, Idell," Kampher called as she entered the anti-chamber to Schurke's office. "I've come to see my old pirate. He didn't come home for midday meal," she lied glibly, unsure whether Idell had been aware of the frantic com call earlier.

"Good afternoon, Kam," Idell called back pleasantly from behind her desk. "As usual, you're just in time. I was about to com you at home."

Kampher hesitated in the doorway. With short silver hair and grey eyes, Idell had been Schurke's effective 'woman at arms' since Schurke had taken office. She was only a little older than the two of them and was considered a part of the family. "Idell, is something wrong?"

Idell shook her head. "Nothing to be _too_ worried about. His leg was bothering him terribly though. I told him to go lie down and when he didn't ask me to join him, I knew he wasn't feeling well."

Kam laughed, and then her tone grew serious, contemplative. "How is your grandson, Amashe? You said the Healers were coming."

"They did," Idell replied as she held the door to Schurke's office open. "Two of them in fact. One stayed with us and asked all sorts of questions, the other went right to Amashe." Her voice became a whisper. "It was terrifying, Kam. We thought – I mean… it looked just like – you know… we put him into the bath as soon as his fever spiked."

"What did the Healer say?" Kampher asked, keeping her voice level, her face mask-like. To her surprise, Idell laughed. It was a nervous, brittle sound.

"He said it was only a seasonal fever," Idell said softly. "My son burst into tears at the news… he remembers what it was like before. We all do."

"Yes," Kampher replied hesitantly. "Thank the Gods …"

Perhaps lost in relief, Idell didn't seem to notice. "Either way, my dear, the _Old Pirate_ awaits…"

**

Luke absently checked the Coruscant news feed as Aubé went to check on Pem. The headlines screamed over the upcoming grand State Wedding of Leia Organa and General Solo. Who had been invited – who had been snubbed – it was the grandest event since the toppling of the Empire.

He wondered about Leia's reaction to the announcement. She had fought the idea of a grand public wedding like a Rancor over a particularly lean piece of prey, and yet the bureaucrats had won in the end. It didn't matter to the Senate Elite that Han and Leia had _actually_ been bonded as husband and wife many years before back on Endor. They felt that a public spectacle on such an eventful scale would detract from the rumblings on the holo-net that perhaps something was wrong, and so far, they had been right.

There was only a brief mention of an 'illness that hospitalized a few prominent Senators.' Perhaps the fear that 'Tarkin's' had reached the core had been nothing more than hysterical thinking on the part of the Healing staff?

He found his eyes drawn to the story about Leia. Even after so many years, it was hard to see her as anything but the tough, no-nonsense Princess who ever refused to be a mere damsel in distress. Accompanying the article was a side bar with illustrative artistic renditions of 'possible' wedding dresses. Everything from a garment that looked as if it would bankrupt the entire treasury of a small planet, to a diaphanous gown that left very little – if anything – to the imagination, was depicted in those images..

He laughed a little, trying to imagine the fiery Princess of Alderaan, blaster in hand, attempting to maintain her composure in such an outfit.

Now Aubé, perhaps…

"Something funny, Luke?" Aubé murmured softly, wrapping her arms unobtrusively around his waist.

"Just things," he replied, turning to take her into a full embrace. "How would you like a Hutt-sized wedding? A hundred guests! A thousand! All of Coruscant society in attendance!"

Aubé wrinkled her nose and Luke kissed it playfully.

"I take that as a 'no!' then?"

"Maybe for Pem," Aubé sighed, settling into his arms, familiarly comfortable. "If we're going to do this, I'd rather it be just… just family. Someplace quiet."

Luke laughed again, a low rumble in his chest. "Your parents, your brothers… our daughter..."

"…Your sister, General Solo, Chewbacca, your droids." Aubé finished with another sigh, more resigned this time. "We might as well invite the whole Rogue Squadron while we're at it."

"Or we could just run away, Bé," Luke said softly in her ear. "On Naboo, there's an old monastery…

Another sigh, more contented this time. "No," she said at last. "I think family will be enough. At least for that." She pulled back a little and regarded him for a moment. "I mean, who will watch our Pem… after?"

"Threepio," Luke replied, deadpan.

Aubé arched an eyebrow. "Your sister's protocol droid? She'd run him ragged! How about asking Kay and Toa instead? Or even my parents."

"Han, then," Luke said firmly, pulling her close once again. "I think that Pemberian Skywalker will be a great introduction to what the future holds. A few hours with her, and he'll wonder why he and Leia waited so long…"


	26. Chapter 26

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias  
Chapter 25**

_**And then down they sailed off away deep  
into the Undiscovered Country  
of Old Death and Strange Years  
in the Frightful Past.... – **__Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree_

"Schurke," Kampher called softly as she entered his office, her steps light as cloud prints. "Schurke…" Her voice trailed off as she saw her companion of so many years, the other part of her very soul, laying sanguine on the couch, eyes closed as he were trying to sleep.

"Ah, Idell," he murmured suggestively. "I see that the Alderaanian dancing girl I ordered is here at last!"

Ignoring his comment, Kampher gently rested her hand on her husband's forehead, suddenly – painfully – aware of the white that shot through his hair.

_Oh Schurke,_ she thought to herself. _When did we grow so old?_

Lightly, Schurke caught her hand in his own and kissed her palm.

"Old?" He cackled in a fair imitation of Master Yoda, as he playfully wrested her down on top of him. "When nearly 60 years old you reach…"

"Older than that, we are, Schurke," Kam corrected him gently, mimicking his tone. "We have a grand-child now…"

Schurke wrinkled his nose, but didn't argue.

"Idell said you weren't feeling well," Kampher said, carefully broaching the subject. "Schurke, I know it's _not_ your leg…"

"It's nothing," Schurke replied dismissively, stroking her back. "War wounds."

"Which one?" Kampher sighed. "Schurke, I'm worried about you, and about our son."

Schurke stiffened briefly, stopping his hand mid stroke, then resumed as if nothing had happened. "It's under control…" he said softly. "It's taken care of."

"What do you mean, _it's taken care of?_" Kampher asked, a frown creasing her delicate features. "Schurke Canaille, what are you hiding from me? What _have_ you been hiding from me?"

"It was… it had to be like that," Schurke muttered under his breath. "Negotiation…"

"I don't understand," Kampher pressed, sitting up. "Talk to me…"

After a long drawn out silence, Schurke opened his red rimmed and hollow eyes. It seemed he carried the weight of the Universe with him…the weight of hopelessness. Kampher had only seen that look once before, reflected in the eyes of their friend Gris…

And Anakin.

She gasped, and Schurke pulled her closer. "Let me tell you a story, Kam," he said softly. "A story about a father's love for his son. You see, there was once a man who tried to be a Jedi, and although they made him a Knight, he still never felt that he was good enough. He wanted to save his friends and yet he let them die due to his own inaction. He had the love of the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, and a family, and yet that still wasn't enough. There was always the fact that he had failed to act, failed to make the necessary sacrifice. He had never done enough…"

"Schurke… do you mean Anakin?"

"Not Toboo, Kam," Schurke corrected her sadly, and after a moment he pressed on.  
"One day, the man was presented with a final chance to make up for everything – so he thought. His son was dying, being consumed by the very darkness that had claimed so many others so near and dear to his heart. Anakin… Gris…"

Kampher tenderly kissed away the tears that had begun to fall, willing her own strength to sooth his soul.

"And so the man made a bargain."

"It didn't want to let go of the man's son at first, the Darkness. It wanted to feed utterly on the son, and leave the rest. Finally, though it could not resist the offer of life so freely given… it was a meant to be a trade, Kam, _my_ life for his, but something… distracted it… the _Light_, the Light that shone from the son of Toboo…"

He broke down into uncontrollable sobs, wracking his body beneath her. "I wasn't strong enough, Kam," he cried. "I just wasn't strong enough…"

Luke could have happily stayed in this place forever, safe in Aubé's arms, dreaming of a grand wedding and a happily ever after, but for one minor annoyance.

He looked over to find out exactly who or what was shaking his shoulder.

_Uncle Owen?_

"Wake up, _Bé's sleepy Yay-so_," Uncle Owen snapped, chomping on a Force Forsaken cigar that all Corellians – Aubé included – seemed to be so fond of. "You _must wake up right now!_"

"Not now," Luke answered dreamily, his attention turning to the fact that Aubé's hands were once again fumbling with his robe tie. Uncle Owen was always interrupting his private time, even back on Tatooine…

"Luke, you must wake up…" Now it was Aunt Beru who was tugging on his ear. "Luke…"

_What are they doing here? By the gods, that cigar smelled like a rancor pit…_

"They aren't here, Master Skywalker," Toa answered from what had been Aubé's position, arms lightly draped around his waist. "You are _dreaming_ still…"

With a shout, Luke leaped off of the couch, fully awake now, and fully undressed.  
He stood there for a moment, his mind still fluxing between the warm land of dreams and the cold floor of reality beneath his feet. It only took him a moment to realized that his feet weren't the only thing that were cold.

Toa offered Luke a the robe that had been cast aside so carelessly. "I can see why Aubé finds you so… irresistible Master Skywalker," he said dryly. "But perhaps it would be better if you dressed once again before we spoke."

Luke took the proffered clothing and blinked, trying to clear the last of the fog from his mind. "Toa?" he asked carefully. "What are you doing here? What… what happened?"

"The sedation," Toa said simply as he picked up the unopened vial from the floor. Wordlessly, he pocketed it, and drew the blanket over Aubé's prone form once again. "You succumbed to the medication that Aubé was under…"

"On _your_ orders, as I recall," Luke snapped, pulling on the robe. "But what are _you_ doing here? And why did I…"

"Your bond with Aubé must be strong," Toa sighed, ignoring the dig. "Soon enough, you will be able to work with it as apposed to be being ruled by it. It is indeed a rarity that the bond is so strong." He picked up the cigar which smoldered in the dish and took a long, thoughtful pull on it. "It is a mixed blessing and a curse that it is so, it made it all the easier to enter your mind and help you wake…" The smoke trailed upwards towards the ceiling, obscuring Toa's features momentarily.

Luke sat down heavily on the chair opposite, still trying to disperse the last of the haze from his mind. They had taken Pemberian from the Healing center, put the child to bed, had washed, then made love…

He flushed, wondering exactly how much Toa had seen before using the memory of his dead aunt and uncle to bring him around. "Why aren't you at the Healing Center with Kay'leb, working on the cure?" Luke asked, his voice stronger now, his head clearer.

Toa's features darkened, as if a cloud were passing over his face. "Because, Master Skywalker…" he said slowly. "I am in fear for my Kay-sa, and maybe… maybe – just maybe – a little afraid _of him…_"


	27. Chapter 27

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias**

Chapter 26

_Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit. (There has never been any great genius without a spice of madness.) – Lucius Annaeus Seneca _

***

Alone in the dark room, his rage subsided at last, Kay'leb took a deep, soothing breath as he drifted into his meditation.

A part of him longed to have Toa with him, for when Toa helped guide his meditation, he could almost completely block out the other presence that seemed to want to permeate his senses. Yet Toa was away… Oddly enough, Kay'leb could not even sense his  
whereabouts, and at first it frightened him to feel so alone.

_But you are not alone…_ the soft voice whispered, caressing his mind like a lover. _It does not matter that he is not here, I am with you… You know that Toa would not understand, not yet. None of them would._

No, they wouldn't… Kay'leb agreed dreamily. The fear, the uncertainty that what he had done was wrong began to drift away, unsubstantial as dry leaves crumbling in the wind.

_You are doing the right thing,_ the presence whispered._ They will see… they will come to understand. In time._

Yes…

You do not need your companion. I will help you truly see, once again.

Waves of pleasure began to wash over Kay'leb, washing away his will to resist the siren song that called to him, beckoned him to follow; and yet a small part of him cried out. That small part of him knew that, this time, there would be no going back. No one would be able to save him… this time.

_No! Let me go!! Please!_

Suddenly, shockingly, he was wracked with pain, like nexu claws ripping through every fiber of his existence. He cried out in surrender, begging for mercy. In the next instant he was infused with the balm of peaceful and total submission as his will and consciousness, and the last of his resistance were at last washed away.

Next to him, the fragile nursery flower if it had a voice, surely it would have screamed as it withered on the vine, as almost as if exposed to a great burst of radiation. As the once vibrant flower shriveled and died, the last remnant of the man that was Kay'leb Canaille died with it.

After dressing, Luke came back into the Canaille sitting room to find Toa leaning over Aubé's unconscious form, whispering to her in an unfamiliar language as he stroked her head.

Luke pursed his lips. Although Toa had been instrumental in helping them escape from the Healer's facility, Luke still felt unsure about trusting him, even though the Force told him that Toa would give his own life to protect his 'family', including Aubé.

Burying the swell of jealousy at the familiar way Toa touched Aubé, Luke knelt down beside her.

"Bé?" he whispered, taking her hand. "Nails, can you hear me?"

Aubé's eyes fluttered, but there was no sign that she had actually heard him. Concerned, Luke turned to Toa. "I don't understand," Luke said softly. "Kampher said that the hypo-spray would counter the sedation. That she would wake up."

Toa shook his head. "I don't understand it either," he muttered under his breath. "She should be at least somewhat lucid by now." His face darkened. "This isn't right…"

"What?"

Toa sighed. "Master Skywalker, I came here to ask for your help. My Kay-sa – Kay'leb – there is something wrong with him."

"So you've said," Luke replied with a hint of bitterness, still a little angry at the younger Healer for the rather invasive awakening. Fruitlessly, he continued to try to awaken Aubé who, if anything, seemed to slip farther away. "But I don't know what you want me to do. I can't leave Aubé and Pem!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Luke realized with horror that this was exactly what he _had_ to do.

And not only now… He would _always_ have to leave them, time and time again.

He sat there in the thick silence that ensued, and to his relief, Toa seemed to understand.

"Master Skywalker," Toa said, rising slowly and choosing his words with great care. "My Master's _battles_ may or may not be of consequence in the larger will of the Force, or your future with Aubé and your child, but – forgive me for being so presumptuous – I believe you have reached a point where you must choose what is right."

_Why?_ Luke wondered fiercely. _Why must there always be a choice? Why can't Aubé and I just run away together, raise our family and be happy?_

Because we can't escape our destiny. None of us can. Everything happens for a reason, every action or inaction will have it's consequences. Would Tam have lived had he been born on Coruscant? Would Leia have become a Jedi had she met Obi-Wan? Would he have…

His mind wandered to the words he had found written in Ben's journal. Archaic as it was, perhaps the fact that the words had been _written_ as apposed to merely recorded on a data recorder gave them weight.

_Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there._

What you choose to do with them is up to you. .

Numbly, Luke began to caress Aubé's forehead. "It's always that way," he murmured. "To water a desert, one must drain an ocean…"

He leaned over and kissed Aubé gently on the lips, not even noticing that Toa had left the room.

"I love you, Bé," he told her softly. "But I have to do this…"

Again, Aubé's eyelids fluttered as if she could hear him, but Luke didn't expect a real response. He leaned over to kiss her once again and too his surprise, Aubé spoke.

"Go…" she croaked, a shaky hand reaching for his cheek. "Luke… save… save them…"  
Luke caught her hand in his own and kissed her palm.

"Save _Who_ Bé?"

"Save them," she gasped, her eyes wide and far away. "Papa… Kay'leb… Gris… Anakin…"

"Aubé? Aubé?" Luke grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. "Nails…"

"Commander…"

An idea dawned on him. "Lieutenant! Report!"

"It's back, Commander…" she shuddered, her eyes still as vacuous as before, but her voice was stronger, steady now.

"What's back, Lieutenant?" Luke asked her evenly. "Clarify your report."

"The Temple… the Temple was only the battle, sir. The War is still coming…"

"The War…"

"Kay'leb… he thinks that giving himself to the Dark will save the others…Master Canaille believes it has strength because he failed… they don't understand…"

"Understand what?"

"The War of light and Dark … it is eternal, Commander… We can only win the battles." Aubé gasped, and Luke knew she was fading again. He pulled her close to hear her. "It… is… eternal…"

She sighed and closed her eyes as Luke lowered her back to the couch.

With a last kiss, Luke clipped his Light Saber to his belt and rose to join Toa, who he knew was waiting outside for him.

_You are wrong, my Aubé. This is the one battle my daughter will never have to fight. My daughter, my family… No more. _Luke thought to himself. _It ends, now_.


	28. Chapter 28

_Whoever undertakes to set himself up as judge in the field of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods.  
-Albert Einstein_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias,  
Chapter 27**

In the short time it had taken Luke to dress, Toa had created a series of small valleys in the small flower bed with his fingers intricate – patterns in the soil as if he were looking to channel away the water from unshed tears.

"Master," Toa murmured, acknowledging Luke's presence. "Walk with me; I'll explain things on the way."

Luke grimaced. "_What_ will you explain to me, Toa?" he snapped. "Will you tell me why I am leaving Aubé and my daughter? _Why_ we are walking there, although you impressed upon me the urgency that we go? Am I to assume we are walking to the Healing Center to… to confront Kay'leb?"

"I believe my _Kay-sa_ is no more, Master Skywalker. I _fear_ this."

"Then who…?"

"Not _who_, Master," Toa interrupted him softly. "What." He turned to Luke, and placed his hand over Luke's heart, his expression utterly sad. "Walking will give me the time to block the thing that has taken residence in the body of my _Kay-sa_ while I tell you everything. Time is short, but perhaps this will buy us enough."

They began to walk again, Luke in complete and utter silence, absorbing Toa's presence in the Force like a Kibo flower in the sun. In the ensuing quiet, Luke listened to the unspoken things that Toa wanted to convey. His love for Kay'leb and the Canaille family. The desire to see that all would be right, but most of all, his fear…  
"You must be prepared, no matter what you see," Toa said suddenly. "Perhaps you may not understand why…" He paused, considering, and then picked up the narrative again.

"I was born on Dathomir, and on our world, male children – especially those who can touch the Force – have only one purpose, and that is to produce more children. My mother knew that I was different, though; that I had a gift for healing. Perhaps even more importantly, she knew that I had no… _desire_ to… to…" He shrugged dismissively.

"She sent me away from Dathomir when I was 14," he said finally, picking up the narrative in a different place, "and the Force brought me to Master Kampher, my Kay-sa's mother. I served as her apprentice Master Kay'leb and I had always been friends, sometimes lovers..." A wry smile touched his lips as he felt, rather than saw Luke squirm involuntarily. "But I became a part of his _soul_ when they returned from the Core, after Kay'leb's encounter in the Jedi Temple… We became so much more." He cast a shattered glance at Luke, who only listened, waiting for Toa to continue in his own time.

"This pains me Master!" Toa moaned softly. "Too be apart from him in this way –  
It is worse than removing a limb – But I must…"

They began to walk again, faster now as the Healer's center loomed in the distance.

"The illness – the one they call 'Tarkin's Disease' – it came back almost with in days of the birth of your children." Toa began again, more quietly now. "It nearly decimated our world and the sister worlds – and yet, as if a call had gone out to the universe, Healers from all over the Galaxy came to help – Jedi like yourself. After the plague, some stayed, Master, and became part of the healing staff. Others left, taking newly created families with them." He chuckled dryly. "In a few generations, half of the Jedi of the galaxy will be at least in part Corellian while my own line dies with me."

Toa grew somber again as they approached the rear entrance of the Healing Center. "And now, Master, with the resurrection of the Jedi – specifically with the return of the Light which is yourself - the Dark rises once again, and what better vessel for it than the one who succumbed once before?"

"Kay'leb…" Luke said softly as they paused at the door. "He re-released the plague…"

"My _Kay-sa_ was merely a tool, Master." Toa murmured, keeping his voice low even as the fear crept into it. "He himself does not know that he has done this! But before my Master truly was lost, I saw the truth! That is why he shut me out of his mind…"

Toa re-keyed the entrance twice before the door opened to allow them admittance and then stood to the side, his head bowed low.

"You're sending me to kill him, aren't you Toa." Luke whispered. "You can't do it yourself…"

"I am doing what I must," Toa acknowledged as he turned to walk away. "I must leave you. I cannot go any further."

Luke placed a hand on his shoulder. "Toa…"

"Master, please don't ask me to …"

"Take care of my daughter, Toa." Luke murmured gently. "And tell Aubé… Tell Aubé that I'm sorry…"


	29. Chapter 29

**7th Hymn of Tiresias, chapter 28**

_"A clockwork orange—meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the Devil." – Anthony Burgess_

**

There are often difficulties when possessing the flesh of another, especially if the host was unwilling. As often as not, small incidents of rebellion would arise and try to take root, like weeds in the garden and if given leave, would spread like wild ivy fire unless crushed quickly. Yet care had to be taken, lest the tool, already weakened by the invasion and ensuing struggle for dominance, be broken in the process.

If the Dark could truly feel – could comprehend the very thing that made the flesh whole – it would have felt fear. This form was already flawed; the senses were restricted to the inward, the sight limited to the spiritual, and the battle for control had been costly. The host had won a single battle; its last act of defiance had been to cut off the connection with it's bond mate, and now, not only was the potential to expand it's influence cut off, but the ability to negotiate the physical had been severely hindered. The pain of the flesh connecting with the hard edges of the outside world had been considerable, yet the Dark fed on this…

As it would soon feed on the Light that drew ever closer.

Luke carefully made his way through the corridors and darkened, empty passageways of the Healing center, relying on the Force to guide his way. The air seemed dark, thick and heavy, like the air before a thunderstorm on Yavin IV.

Oddly, he found his mind wandering back to Yavin, and the first time he had laid eyes on Aubé – well, the second time…

_A communal shower – all the pilots regardless of species or gender shared the refresher – and she had been bathing with the rest of the Galopos Squadron. They had taken heavy casualties during the battle and yet the mood was still jubilant. He remembered how the water, so rare and precious on Tatooine, had rolled down her back…_

Father! It's a trick!

Tamellin's voice echoed suddenly in his head and Luke drew up short.

"Tam?"

_Father, it's a trick!_ Tamellin's voice cried faintly. _Remember the room! He's a Healer! Kay'leb is a Healer…_

"Tam?" Luke called again, but this time he received no answer. He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs that had formed in his mind.

_How long have I been standing here?_ He wondered. His knees hurt, as they often did after long periods of inactivity. _Too long, in any case._

Cursing, he instinctively activated his Light saber even as he reached for his re-breather.

Luke felt as if a veil had been lifted, and clear headed at last, he raced unerringly down the passageway. To his surprise, he found an open door waiting for him and as he paused a few feet away, a rich, dulcet voice reached his ears.

_"Welcome Master Skywalker… you have been long expected."_

"Kay'leb?" Luke removed the re-breather and called softly. The air was clearer in here, yet the _weight_ was still thick and cloying. He stood at the doorway, searching in vain to see beyond the glow of his Saber when without warning the lights were raised.

The first thing that struck him was the utter destruction in the room. Droid parts and wires, shelves of data pads were strewn all over the floor amidst shattered crystals of glass, like a river of gems. All potential obstacles or weapons.

The second was Kay'leb himself.

Luke had expected to see some _physical_ change, after all, many dark beings he had encountered had looked wilder, fiercer – becoming more feral in appearance as the Darkness manifested itself and consumed the physical forum, and yet…

Only Kay'leb stood before him. The same crooked smile that he shared with Aubé and that undoubtedly Pemberian would grow into – one of her grandfather's features that served as a reminder that she was both a Skywalker and a Canaille – graced his face. The auburn hair, streaked with shocks of white…

Only his eyes were different now. Flat and cold.

"Why, Kay'leb?" Luke asked softly, lowering his Light saber, yet still keeping it ignited. "Why…?"

"You…"

"Me," Luke murmured. "But why the others? The children?"

"The light must be extinguished," Kay'leb rumbled thickly, pain evident on his features as if dealing with an internal mutiny. "The Sons of Skywalker…"

"I know my blood-line!" Luke snapped hotly, then suddenly silent.

_It's like a cloud,_ he realized. _This Darkness – a plague in and of itself! I've got to focus!_ He drew in a deep breath, and refocused. It would mean closing himself off from the Force, at least a little, but he needed to concentrate.

The silence between them spun out for what seemed to be an eternity, when it was broken at last by loud, hearty laughter.

"Very good, son of Skywalker," Kay'leb said at last, dissolving into bone chilling chuckles. "But what good will it do you… do them?" He gestured grandly as the wall slid away, revealing a second room shielded by a large glass partition. In it, nearly a dozen children asleep and unaware of the drama unfolding so closely at hand.

Luke pursed his lips, turning his attention back to Kay'leb, he pressed on. "They will be fine," he said coolly. "Master Kampher and the others have found a cure – they are sending the information to the Core as we speak! You've failed!" It was a bluff. Kampher had not said anything more about the progress of the cure, but just perhaps…

Kay'leb grimaced as Luke took a step forward, and then another. "You've lost, Kay'leb," Luke murmured. "Accept it!"

"It does not matter," Kay'leb accented, a cruel smile playing about his lips. "And now, will you try to kill me? To end this?"

"I must!" Luke murmured, drawing closer.

Suddenly, the familiar snap hiss of an ignited Light saber from behind, and a cry that he heard from the Force long before the voice, full of the pain and rage of perceived betrayal reached his ears.

"No, Luke!" Aubé cried. "I won't let you!"


	30. Chapter 30

_"And when man faces destiny, destiny ends and man comes into his own."  
-André Malraux, The Voices of Silence_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias, Chapter 29**

"Bé…" Luke murmured as he slowly turned to face her. "Bé… Don't do this…"

Aubé stood before him in a half crouch, Light Saber raised, eyes blazing with fury. "I won't let you, Luke!" she snarled. "I won't let you kill my brother in cold blood!"

"Aubé…" Luke echoed, keeping his voice low and soft. "That's _not_ your brother…"

"Run, Kay'leb!" Aubé cried, not taking her eyes off of Luke. "Just get out!"

"He's mad, Bé!" Kay'leb cried, and only Luke could hear the trace of mockery in his voice. "He thinks that _I_ am responsible for the resurgence of the _plague!_"

For a moment, Aubé faltered. She turned to look at her brother, puzzled as Kay'leb's voice rose to a scream.

"Perhaps he thought it would be easier to whisk away your children!" he cried, beginning to ramble almost incoherently. "He is a _Jedi_, Aubé! They will steal both of your children, all of these children to destroy us all!"

"Kay?" she called to him, her tone softer now as confusion set in. "My _children, _Kay? Tamalin has been gone for nearly 6 years... What's wrong with you?"

For a fleeting moment, Kay'leb only stood there, shuddering as if his clothing had been filled with living snakes. His eyes squeezed shut, his hands reaching out blindly.

"Help me, Aubé…" he gasped. "Please… help me…"

At that moment Luke, Luke saw his chance. With a barely perceptible wave of his hand, he tried to knock the Light saber out of Aubé's tenuous grip.

It was a mistake.

What ever inward battle Kay'leb had fought, it was apparent that he had lost.

"Kill him, Aubé!" Kay'leb roared. "You must destroy him, _NOW_!"

With a shriek of rage, Aubé swung her weapon in a graceful – if misdirected – arc. Luke deflected it easily, but Aubé, in her rage, would not be dissuaded. "Run, Kay'leb!" she cried again, taking another even wider swing. Suddenly, Luke realized that she was only trying to distract him, to buy her brother time; but he knew her well enough to know that in her current state, the wide inaccuracies would not last for long. He had to find some way to get through to her…

"Aubé! Listen to me!" Luke shouted, trying to be heard over her cries of rage. "That. Is. Not. Kay'leb!" Each word was punctuated with a parry of her blade. "Your. Brother…"

He spun around wildly as Aubé leaped over him, her blade nearly singeing his shirt, and was momentarily stunned as he realized that not only had _Kay'leb_ failed to move, he seemed to actually be _enjoying_ the sight before him, as a Hutt would savor a great meal.

_It's feeding off of this!_ Luke thought in shocked horror as he ducked another clumsy swing. _It's feeding on Aubé's rage!_

Luke pulled back, pushing Aubé away with the Force – not hard enough to slam her into the wall behind, yet enough to make her pause. She stood there gasping, already worn out. Turning to Kay'leb, she shouted furiously. "Kay! You thick headed turd-shined son of a gundark! I said GO!"

"Aubé! Ask him about your son!" Luke called to her softly, almost completely unruffled. "Ask him… Kay'leb would know…"

Aubé cast Luke a look of pure outrage. "Is that a joke?" she snarled. "Luke, you know damn well… "

"Ask…"

"He's trying to distract you, Aubé!" Kay'leb called back, eyes glittering with malice. "Don't listen to him!"

"Ask…" Luke echoed softly, calmly. There was no trace of Force inflection or influence in his voice, only a gentle trust.

"Kay?" Aubé's light saber lowered slightly as she turned to really look at Kay'leb. "What about… what about my son?"

"He is fine! Your son is fine! Waiting at home!" Kay'leb snapped. "Now! Do as you must, Aubé! If you don't destroy Skywalker, he'll kill us all!"

A thick silence fell as Aubé only stood and stared. "Kay…" she said softly, lowering her saber even farther. "Tam is dead… you know that. It's Pem who is alive… My _daughter_, Kay…"

"It's a trick!" Kay'leb shrieked as the room began to shake. Small items rose up from the floor, circling Kay'leb like particles of sand caught up in a windstorm, slowly gaining momentum. "He's using a Jedi trick to _deceive us_!" he bellowed, his voice echoing in the small room. "Kill him!"

"Nails!" Luke shouted in warning. "Incoming! At your left!"

The words were barely off of his lips when Aubé deflected the missile effortlessly with her light saber. Luke dodged barely avoiding getting struck himself. "Bé! We've got to get out of here! _NOW_!" He fell to the ground, keeping himself as close to the floor as possible.

The noise in the room became almost deafening as objects sailed around the room at random, ricocheting wildly off every surface. Not even Kay'leb himself seemed to be immune to the blows. He reached out blindly, screaming in impotent fury.

"Luke!" Aubé cried as she began to crawl towards him. "Luke! I'm so sorry!"

"Apologize later, Nails!" Luke called back, reaching for her hands. "This is no worse than that Corellian bar brawl back on Drall – let's get out of here!"

An inch, and then another. Hand reached across the floor, fingertips nearly touched. At the very edges of his perception, Luke sensed another presence, a definite shift in the Force like the flow of energy of before an oncoming a storm of great power. Light… love… family… He and Aubé were no longer alone… They would be safe, all of them.

Suddenly Aubé screamed as shards of glass impaled themselves into her side, her cries barely drowning out Luke's own. So intense was the pain, both physical and spiritual, that neither of them noticed that the storm surrounding them had suddenly stopped.


	31. Chapter 31

_I dreamed you were a prophet in a meadow  
I dreamed I was a mountain in the wind  
I dreamed you knelt and touched me with a flower  
I awoke with this: a flower in my hand –Denver/Henry, The Wings that Fly Us Home_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias, chapter 30**

Schurke lay back in the grass and closed his eyes, the ground cool and soft beneath him. He and Kam loved this place – a hillside overlooking the Eastern Sea. It was a place of great peace for him, and one they visited all too rarely.

_But…_

It was nearly day-break, and at the horizon the light was beginning to appear, like a visual chorus… indeed, he could _feel_ it coming, like a tangible thing.

_But… _

Schurke could hear voices in the background. Kampher, calling to him, and cries in the background. Aubé had probably been teasing her younger brother again. Strange to hear them _calling_ him when he was right there…

He frowned. Something wasn't right.

_Papa! Help us!!_ It was Kay'leb's voice…

With some difficulty, Schurke scrambled to his feet. "Kay'leb?" he called, his voice echoing across the valley. "Kam?" He felt cold.

_Wait…_

The chorus grew louder – now it _was_ a chorus of voices, urging him onward…

_Where to?_

He remembered Toa coming to the Senate building and telling him that something terrible had happened to Kay'leb. Insisting that they needed to go to the Healer's center before it was too late…

_It is too late…_ a cold voice spoke up from behind Schurke. _I will take what is mine…_

Schurke wheeled around to face the voice that had addressed him.

_We can drive it out of him, Master,_ Toa had told him. _You, Master Kampher and I! If Master Skywalker can draw its attention away from my Kay-sa – we can drive it out! We can save him!_

Finally, Schurke understood. The thing he faced was the embodiment of the Dark that had plagued his family – had nearly destroyed his son – and had now taken form before him. A great, dark, hooded thing with no face … yet it seemed smaller than the first time he had encountered it in the ruined Jedi Temple on Coruscant… less substantial. Its robes – the shifting shadows that gave an approximation of dress – were tattered and frayed, and seemed to break apart, and then reconcile even as the great being stood before him.

_I should be afraid…_ Schurke thought. _It wants me to be afraid! But I'm not._

"Aren't you a little short for the embodiment of the _Dark Side?_" he quipped, feeling the warmth of the dawn brush his shoulders. "I seem to remember you appearing to be much more… imposing, the last time we met."

The creature shivered, and then raised a smoky, accusatory finger. _You are lost…_ it rumbled. _I will take your son… your children._

"No," Schurke replied simply. "I don't think so…" He began to laugh. "You've been cast _out!_ This is just a last ditch effort for you isn't it?" He felt strong, whole, and bathed in the light. "The _Light_ has come at last, and you just can't stand it! You feed on fear! On self doubt!"

_You are weak… your son is weak._ the creature rumbled, but even as it spoke, Schurke could see that it was losing substance, fragmenting. _Your victory will be small – there must be a sacrifice…_

Schurke closed his eyes, and yet he could still see the growing brightness – it was becoming blinding, yet it did not hurt his eyes. He reveled in it; wrapped himself in the warmth and drew strength from it…

_Is this how it ends?_ Schurke thought in wonderment. _If I die, will I draw the Dark away from my son? I would do so gladly…_

The chorus grew ever louder. It was like a living thing now, becoming one with the Light, making him feel buoyant… free… he could fee pain – but it was not his own –  
the Dark thing seemed to scream its rage at being cheated.

"Go back, Schurke." He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and a new voice – easily heard over the rest – spoke softly in his ear. "The sacrifice was given, many times over. It's not time for you to leave yet…"

_Toboo?_ Schurke whispered, he turned his head to look behind even as the Dark creature began to dissolve before him. There, behind him, stood Anakin Skywalker, as young and whole as he had seen him on that day so long ago when he and Kampher had left him on Alderaan before starting their new life.

"As good as," the apparition laughed. "But they are waiting for you, Schurke…"

_Who?_ Schurke asked, feeling lighter by the moment. The chorus of the light was fading now, yet he could hear familiar, more distinctive sounds. He heard gasps, like someone struggling for air, and Luke's voice telling someone to be still, that help was coming.

"Them," the apparition whispered in his ear, a shadowy hand pointing to the horizon. "_Look and see_…"

In the distance, Schurke could see throngs of people, humans and many different races of alien – some that he could not even identify – wandering about, as if looking for something – or someone.

_Who are they, Toboo?_ Schurke asked, suddenly aware of physical hands raising him up. Other voices mixed with Luke's – cries of "They're all alive! Take them to the examination rooms!" mixed with Luke's calls for help.

_Friends…_ Anakin's voice echoed softly, now beginning to fade. _Students you have yet to teach… Be well, my friend… be happy… Your work is just beginning._

Don't leave me, Anakin! Schurke cried as he began to struggle against the restraining arms. _Don't leave me!_

Don't let the Master hurt himself! Administer a calmative if you must!

Anakin! Schurke called, his throat burning with the effort. _Anakin! Stay with me!_

A sting, the sensation of ice traveling through his veins, and Schurke's struggles began to cease. But it wasn't the drug that had been injected into his thigh that calmed and soothed him. It was the promise…

_Always, my friend… Always…_

"Aubé!" Her name was torn from Luke's lips as the shrapnel from the dying storm struck her body. Disregarding his own safety he lurched to her side. To his horror, he was already kneeling in blood.

"Luke, it hurts!" she whimpered, her eyes wide in shock. "I hurt…"

"Don't look, Bé," he murmured softly, smoothing her cheek with the back of his hand and keeping his voice low. "It'll be alright…"

"K… Kay… Kay'leb…" she stammered, a small trace of blood spraying from her lips.

"Bé… hush," Luke crooned. "He's all right… Toa brought help…" He honestly didn't know whether what he was saying was true, but did he didn't care. He had seen Kampher, Schurke and Toa arrive mere moments before and surround Kay'leb, enveloping him just as the storm of projectiles had abated. They had been joined moments later by a veritable sea of others – Healers, Luke presumed – and he had felt a massive surge in the Force surrounding them…

But none of that mattered now.

"Medic! Over here!" Luke snapped. "She's injured!" _Badly_, he thought, but held his tongue. "I need a Healer, right now!"

"Luke…" Aubé gasped. "Hurts… hurts to breathe…" She closed her eyes as he stroked her cheek, wiping away the tear that welled by her eye.

"Let it go, Bé…" Luke told her softly. "Release the pain into the Force. You're going to be alright." He made room for two Healers, one of whom was readying a stretcher.

"Don't leave me…"

"I won't. Don't be afraid…"

"Not afraid…" she sighed; only wincing as the Healers gently lifted her on to the litter. "You are with me…"


	32. Chapter 32

_We run away all the time to avoid coming face to face with ourselves. ~Author Unknown_

For three days, Luke had split his time between the Healing Center with Aubé, and teaching Pemberian how to begin to utilize the gifts of her birthright.

Thankfully, Aubé's family seemed to understand that he had no desire to speak of the events that had transpired in Kay'leb's office, and had accepted his quiet rebuffs of the subject over the few meals they had shared.

Luke was _glad_ that everyone was slowly recovering, that all the sick children had responded so well to the cure that Kay'leb and Toa had been working on before…

_Before._

He had studiously avoided his com-link, on which Leia had left a plethora of messages.

_Nothing urgent, Luke. At least not yet, but I'd like you to come home as soon as you can…_

Home.

Coruscant.

But Coruscant _wasn't_ home. Home was with Aubé and Pem, wherever they were.

"Look, Pay-pa!" Pemberian squealed joyfully, as the three balls she had been attempting to levitate wobbled unsteadily in the air before falling down with a resounding thump. "I did it! All three at once!"

"Wonderful job, little pilot," Luke's sullen demeanor broke into a grin as he folded her into his arms. "Your Ma-mare will be very proud! But now it's time for your _other_ lessons, and we can't keep your Gran-mere waiting." His knees popped audibly as he rose, eliciting a giggle from his daughter.

"Pay-pa," Pemberian started shyly as she took his hand. "When can I see Ma-mere?"

"Soon, little pilot," Luke assured her. He had steadfastly refused to allow Pemberian to go anywhere _near_ the Healer's Center. "In fact, I think she's coming home to us today…"

"And Kay and Toa, too?"

At the mention of Pem's uncles, Luke flinched. He tried to mask it, but wasn't quick enough.

"Pay-pa?"

"Yes, I think you'll see Kay and Toa very soon, but your uncle has been very sick, Pem. He may be at the Healer's Center for a long time. Your Gran-mere and Toa are taking care of him though, along with many of your friends."

Now the little girl drew up short, her hand sliding lightly away from Luke's own.

"Are you leaving us soon, Pay-pa?" she asked solemnly, her eyes wet with tears. "Are you leaving Ma-mere and me?"

"What gives you that idea?" Luke asked, kneeling before her, his knees popping once again. Pemberian, however, seemed not to notice or care. "Pem…" he whispered softly, cradling her face in both hands and gently wiping away the tears with his thumbs.

With only the barest warning, Pemberian broke out in great braying sobs. "Gra'mere says you have sand in your boots – just like your own Pay-pa! That you have itchy feet and can't stand to stay in one place!" Her sobs dissolved into hitches as Luke drew her closer, sheltering her from the storm of her grief. He stood up, crooning softly as he carried her back to the house where he could already see Kampher waiting anxiously at the door.

_What is it?_ she mouthed to Luke, who only shook his head as he passed her in the door way.

"Do you want to stay with Gra'mere, while I go get your mother?" He asked Pem, carrying her upstairs to her bed. "If you go to sleep, we'll be home before you know it…"

"You _and_ my Ma-Mere?" Pem mumbled, laying her head on Luke's shoulder. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise," Luke murmured softly into her ear as he gave her a squeeze.

"Gra'mere's worried, Pay-pa," Pem told her father solemnly, as she pushed herself back to look Luke in the eye. "Gra'mere is worried about you."

"She shouldn't be, little pilot. Everything is going to be fine, you'll see." He gently lay her down on top of the bed, and kissed her forehead. "Do you want your bantha?"

"I gave Vitty to Tao to take to Kay'leb, Pay-pa," Pem told him earnestly. "Toa said that it would help Kay because of all the love that Vitty holds! That Vitty was like a battery, all charged up with love, Pay-pa! Do you think it will help Kay get better?"

Luke put his hand on his chin and squeezed his eyes closed in an exaggerated gesturer of deep thought. "Hmmm, a great Jedi Master you will be, miss Pemberian," he said at last. "But I thought you were going to try to sleep? Would you rather go and do your lessons?"

"I'd rather got to sleep, Pay-pa!" she giggled, drawing the covers over her head. "You and Ma-mere will be back sooner then!"

Luke rose, and for the third time his knees cracked in protest, eliciting another giggle from under the covers. "My Pay-pa needs an oil bath!"

Luke only smiled as he waved down the lights. Perhaps not an oil bath, but decidedly a little more exercise.

"Rest well, little pilot," he called softly as he closed the door. "Big adventures will be coming soon…"

**

"Luke, were you going to pick up Aubé?" Kampher asked, offering him his cloak and a basket full of food. "The Healer's center commed – she checked herself out 20 minutes ago." Before Luke utter a word about rancor - headed Corellian women, Kampher continued. "She said you'd know where to find her."

Utterly frustrated, still Luke accepted the proffered offerings with grace. "Thank you, Kam," he muttered, lowering his eyes as he began to head for the door and a waiting swoop bike, but Kampher's light touch on his arm stopped him momentarily.

"Luke, Kay'leb asked me to tell you thank you…"

"I though you said he had no memory of anything prior to my arrival?" Luke replied wearily. _This is decidedly not the time to go over this_ he thought. _I just want to see my girl, and know that she's all right._

Kampher shook her head. "No, he doesn't," she agreed. "He still doesn't know what happened to Aubé – or Pem… but he _loves_ his sister, Luke. And Aubé loves him." _Do you understand_? The question was unasked, yet hung between them like a tangible thing in the thick silence that followed.

"I should go," Luke said at last. "She'll be waiting for me."

"Luke…"

"Master?"

"Be kind," Kampher told him softly. "Not only to her, but yourself as well. Sometimes the very thing we are searching for is right in front of us after all."

"You still sound like Master Yoda , Kam," Luke replied as he hesitated at the door. "Did he tell you that?"

"No," she said, a wistful smile touching her lips. "I had to find that out for myself…"


	33. Chapter 33

_I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. ~Douglas Adams_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias,**

Chapter 32

Luke found Aubé where he expected, sitting on a blanket on the sands of the beach. Her head was tilted back, eyes closed.

And once again, she was gloriously bare from the waist up.

To his surprise, a familiar series of whistles and beeps greeted his ears as a green and black R-2 unit seemed to scold her from the safety of the firmer ground next her speeder.

"Hush Gee-3," Aubé grumbled, not opening her eyes. "I have the re-breather right here, and it's not time to change the bacta patches just yet…"

The sight of Luke set it off in a flurry of chirps and alarmed whistles, as if it were protecting the sensibilities of its mistress, and Luke could not suppress the laughter that rose to his lips.

"Hello there!" Luke called, more to the droid then to Aubé. "Don't worry; I'm not here to harm her."

A whoop and a whistle, and a shake of the domed head conveyed the thought that Gee-3 seemed to think otherwise, but it seemed resigned to the thought of this intrusion being an acceptable one.

"Luke!" Aubé called, not moving from her place. "I see you got my message…"

"Why didn't you wait for me, Bé?" he murmured into her ear as he knelt behind her. He grimaced as his knees popped for the forth time and he wrapped his arms around her waist for balance. "Someone's waiting for you at home…"

"I thought we needed to talk… alone, first," she sighed, leaning back into his embrace. "The Healing center isn't a good place for privacy if you're a patient."

He nuzzled her ear, his fingers lightly tracing over the edges of the bacta patch. "You _were_ a patient, Bé," Luke breathed softly into her ear. "I thought I'd lost you…"

"I'm made of tougher stuff, Luke." She sighed as he kissed her throat. "It runs in my family."

"I know," he said huskily. "Tough as _nails_…" he gently brushed her cheek with his free hand, turning her face to meet his. He wanted her, suddenly, almost desperately. "Aubé…" he groaned as he kissed her deeply.

In the distance, he was vaguely aware of the scolding whistles and beeps emanating from the R2 unit which were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

"My heart…" Aubé gasped, pulling away. "Gee-3 has sensors built in to detect my heart rate – my breathing – so I don't over exert myself."

"You don't have to do anything, Aubé," Luke growled low in his throat, tracing fierce kisses down her neck and to her breast-bone. "Just… lie back… relax…"

"Luke!" she whimpered, "The Healers…"

"I won't hurt you, Bé," he rumbled into the space between her breast, positioning one knee between hers. "I'll never hurt you…"

"Luke, you don't understand!" she gasped, sitting up. "Gee-3 has orders to summon a Healer if he detects an anomaly in my heart rate! They'll be here in minutes!"

"Can't you turn it off?" Luke grumbled, his passion already fading into ashes. "Bé…"

"Maybe…" she said coyly. "But I wanted to talk to you first."

Luke slumped down beside her, only momentarily defeated.

"So talk to me, Aubé," he sighed. "Tell me what's really bothering you."

"I think you know," she said quietly, settling into his embrace. "Mother says you've spent hours upon hours at the Healing Center, but you haven't said more than a few words about what happened there."

"You are more important to me," Luke grunted succinctly. "You and Pem."

"But we were all in this together," she murmured. "You saved us all."

"Why didn't Toa tell me that he needed a distraction?" Luke sighed. "That he was using me – and you – as bait?"

"He didn't, not intentionally I think," said Aubé. "He told me that he was only listening to the Force… that he had resigned himself to the fact that you would have to free him…" She kissed Luke tenderly. "When he left you, he _knew_ that you were Kay'leb's only hope. That only _you_ could save him."

"He put _you_ in danger, Bé," Luke growled, again absently stoking the bacta patch on her side. "None of this would have happened if…"

"The Galaxy if fraught with _if's_ Luke," Aubé murmured. "What if, what if…"

"What if I asked you to come back to Coruscant with me?"

Aubé wrinkled her nose. "I hate the Core," she grunted. "And how would you explain _me_? Or Pem? Luke, you have a reputation…"

"I have a woman I love," Luke corrected her, gently. "I have a daughter who chases the sun out of bed every morning, and has all the makings of a great Jedi…" He began to run his hand down her thigh. "I have a _family… we are a family_"

Aubé sighed. "I want Pem to grow up knowing _all_ of her family, Luke. Her fingers ran lazily over his hip bone. "That would mean coming back to Corellia, and sometimes… taking her to Centares. Toa is speaking of taking Kay'leb there to really heal."

"Yes," Luke replied softly, his hand reaching into a pocket on her leggings. He pulled out a small com-link device and held it up for Aubé to see.

She smiled, and lowered herself to kiss Luke, delicately touching the tip of his tongue with her own.

"Gee-3," she ordered softly. "Privacy mode…"

A sullen whistle echoed back followed by blessed silence.

"Be gentle with me, Luke," Aubé sighed, lowering herself to his side. "I would hate to try to explain to the apprentice Healer how I tore open the bacta patch while ostensibly relaxing at home."

"Always, Aubé…" he replied. "At least, until you are completely healed… then we can put rancors to shame…"

**

It was free fall as they lost themselves in the act of physical love, compounded by the fact that they were truly joined in the Force. Every movement, every sensation was magnified a thousand times, and when it was finally over, Luke was painfully aware of the fact that they were no longer alone.


	34. Chapter 34

_"Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain."  
-Kahlil Gibran, "The Voice of the Poet"_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias,**

Chapter 33

Luke had been aware of the intruder on their privacy long before Aubé had. _Or perhaps she just doesn't care?_ Luke thought ruefully. _At least he respected us enough to not to insert himself into my memory this time. _

He put the tunic on gingerly, mindful of the fresh slew of abrasions on his back.

Aubé offered him a wry smile as she took his hand, rising from the ground. "I think my mother has enough bacta for the both of us," she murmured, kissing his ear. "I'm sorry…"

"No, you're not," Luke grunted good naturedly as hands clasped together, they walked back to the speeder and their unexpected guest.

The R2 unit was emitting electronic purrs and clicks. Had it been human, the sounds and tones could have been mistaken for shameful clucking. Toa stood next to it, hand resting easily on its dome, head lowered.

"Toa," Aubé called lightly as they approached. "Why are you here?"

At the sound of Aubé's voice, Toa looked up. His face was drawn and pale, yet he still managed a small smile. "It is nearly time for last meal, and you had not returned."

"Last meal… at home?" Aubé asked, incredulous. "Toa, where is Kay'leb?"

"My Kay-sa is also at home," Toa murmured with a bow. "We thought it would be best to bring him there."

Aubé felt Luke's grip tighten on her hand, and she looked at him, puzzled. "Luke?"

"It's all right Bé," Luke said quietly, "It's just… it just seems so quick."

Toa raised his head angrily, "My Kay-sa suffers from an illness of the _soul_ Master Skywalker," he said sharply, his hollow eyes flashing. "I have already made arrangements for us to leave Corellia within a few days. This place holds too many…" He paused, searching for the words. "It is best I take him from this place," he said at last. "My Kay-sa will be well and whole again."

Luke stood back, allowing Aubé to wrap her arms around Toa. "It will be all right, Toa," Aubé said gently, taking him into her embrace. They stood still together until suddenly, Toa shocked Luke when his eyes flew open wide and his hands flew to Aubé's belly.

"What is it?" Luke asked, reaching protectively for Aubé to pull her back, but Toa had slipped to his knees with his arms wrapped around her waist and his head resting against her belly. His eyes were closed with an expression of pure bliss upon his face. Aubé seemed horrified.

"Already?" Toa murmured. "The life fire from Master Skywalker is powerful indeed…"

Aubé stumbled backwards into Luke's arms. She was white. "Toa, if you're joking I can assure you this is _not_ funny."

_What…?_ thought Luke, and then in an instant it dawned on him. Suddenly he felt a great swelling of pride, and oddly enough, accomplishment. He reached for the same place on Aubé's abdomen, just below her navel, and reached into the Force.

_Yes, there it is…_he thought. _It's just a spark, but it's really there!_

Aubé shook her head. "No, it can't be," she moaned. "It just isn't possible…"

Suddenly, she found herself scooped up in her lover's laughing arms… "It's more than possible, Bé," Luke laughed, swirling her around, completely unmindful of the squeals and scolds from the R2 unit that was determined to protect its mistress. "It's true!" he crowed, the last remnants of resentment swirling away into the Force. "As promised, a gift for Pemberian!"

"It can't be!" Aubé reiterated, as if denying it would make it fact. "Luke, I've taken my mother's serum for years! I only just stopped!" She beat her fist half heartedly against his chest in frustration.

Toa broke into a genuine smile, which lit up his whole face. "You cannot deny the will of the Force Mere-Bé," he said quietly. "It was time…"

"But Luke has to go back to the Core!" Aubé protested feebly. "There's so much to do!"

"Yes, yes there is," Luke agreed solemnly, shifting her weight in his arms. "And the first thing we need to do is to take you home! My new baby will need to be fed, to get a good start on life…"

Toa nodded, mounting the swoop. "Take the larger speeder, Master, I will tell the other Masters that you are on your way. You and Mere-Bé will be able to ride safely on it – I will send someone from the Healer's Center to collect the other one later this evening." With that, Toa was off, leaving Luke and Aubé once again alone on the beach.

Not quite alone.

A curious warble emitted from the droid's vocabulator.

"Well, little friend," Luke turned to the droid. He was still reveling in his oncoming fatherhood. "How would you like to come back to the Core with us?"

An affirmative whistle.

"Luke," Aubé sighed settling into his embrace. "G-3 belongs to the Healer's center! He's specifically programmed to serve as a Healer's aid."

Luke shrugged. "He's an R2 unit. They learn quickly."

"Can _you_ learn quickly?" she asked coyly, caressing his chin with her fingertips. "I mean, in less than a year, you'll need to learn how to make love to a Hutt."

He caught her hand in his own and tenderly kissed her palm, his blue eyes dancing. "We'll just have to have plenty of practice, won't we?"

Aubé squirmed in his arms and Luke reluctantly let her down. "We should go, Luke," she sighed. "At least, if _you_ want to be the one to tell my parents, we should. They'll see it in Toa's face the moment he walks in. He'll probably stop at the Healer's center first to buy us time, but it won't be a lot."

Luke nodded, and began to secure the R2 unit to the larger speeder while Aubé went to retrieve the last of their belongings from the beach.

_This changes everything and yet, it changes nothing,_ Luke thought to himself as he tightened the restraints on the droid. _We'll wait a few more days, to make sure Aubé and the new baby are going to be all right for the journey. Then a few weeks on Coruscant to assist Leia in what ever venture is troubling her at the moment, and then on to…_

On to where?

Wait…

Perhaps…

Just maybe…

"Bé?" He called softly. "How would you like to have our baby born on Naboo?"


	35. Chapter 35

_He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began. ~Leo Tolstoy_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias, Chapter 34**

"Ma-mere!" Pemberian squealed as she raced up the pathway and leaped into Aubé's waiting arms.

"Be careful, Pem," Luke called from the speeder as he released G-3 from his restraints. "Your Ma-mere probably still hurts in places. Come and see what came home with us!"

"You brought me a gift, Pay-pa?" Pemberian asked, wide eyed. Luke flushed.

_Is it that obvious? Already?_ he wondered to himself. _Surely not!_

Yet Pem seemed to only have eyes for the R2 unit. "What's his name, Pay-pa?" she asked, taking Luke's hand as the R2 unit chirped happily.

"G3 - EN4 is his designation, Pem," Luke told her, relief evident on his face. "But I think you can name him what you like, he won't mind."

"Her!" Pem corrected him unerringly. "G3 is a girl droid, Pay-pa! You and ma-mere missed last meal, but Gra-mere said I could stay up and wait for you to come home. Can G3 stay in my room tonight?"

"I'm sure _she_ can Pem," Luke said, scooping her up into his arms. "Come say good night to your Ma-mere and off to bed with you."

"Can't I wait for Toa?" Pem pleaded. "I want to show him G3!"

"In the morning," Luke told her gently as he walked down the path. "You can show them then." He looked up to see if Aubé was still waiting at the door, but to his surprise, she had already slipped inside.

It was Kay'leb himself who stood in the doorway. He looked drawn and thin, and leaned heavily on a walking stick, but a light smile touched his lips. A ghost of the man he had been, his hair was almost totally white.

Pem, however, seemed not to care. "Kay-kay!" she cried joyfully. "Pay-pa brought me a gift!"

"I know," Kay'leb replied dryly, the smile becoming a grin, and already Luke could hear the busy sounds of a household in preparation for a celebration in the background.

"Did Ma-mere tell you her name?" Pem asked, wiggling free of Luke's embrace. "It's G3!"

"G3?" Kay'leb echoed, momentarily confused, but as the R2 unit rolled along the pathway, chirping and beeping merrily, realization dawned. "G3 is an excellent name Pi," he said laughing. "Take your new friend inside while I speak to Master Luke, will you?"

She kissed him loudly on the cheek, and then motioning for G3 to follow, slipped inside the house leaving Luke and Kay'leb outside alone.

After an awkward moment of silence, Kay'leb began to speak.

"Master," he said softly. "From what I understand, I owe you an apology, as well as my life…"

"No, it's all right," Luke said slowly. "Everything's been taken care of…"

Kay'leb shook his head. "No it has _not_ all right, Master," he interjected, reaching out blindly for Luke's hands. "I was… mislead. Forgive me!"

To Kay'leb's surprise, with unexpected tenderness, Luke rejected the handshake and pulled the younger man into an embrace. He held Kay'leb close to his body, close to his soul, while Kay'leb's quiet dry sobs wracked his body. "It's all right Kay'leb," Luke murmured gently. "We all stumble sometimes, and we can only hope someone is there to catch us when we fall."

Energized by the excitement in the room, Pemberian was more than reluctant to go to bed. But when the yawns finally outnumbered her bursts of energy, she finally capitulated and allowed Aubé to carry her off.

"Ma-mere?" she asked sleepily. "Will I like Naboo? Will there be other people for me to play with?"

"We're going to Coruscant first, Pem," Aubé reminded her gently. "In about a month, you'll be able to meet your Aunt Leia and Uncle Solo."

"And a real Wookiee Ma-mere?" Pemberian pressed. "I've seen them but never _met_ one before!"

Aubé's lips thinned. She knew Pem was making a last valiant effort to stay up, understanding that there was _something_ amiss, _something_ they weren't telling her, but Aubé was in no mood to deal with the many questions her daughter would have once she knew of the coming baby.

"His name is Chewy, Pem." Luke replied from behind them, having followed up with G3 squealing in terror at loosing it's traction on the floor. Rather than set up a complicated lift system, Luke had called upon the Force in a rare exhibition of frivolity to bring the droid up the stairs.

"Do it again, Pay-pa!" Pemberian cried, applauding wildly even as G3 rotated her head in a clear expression of disagreement.

"Perhaps tomorrow, little pilot," Luke murmured as he tucked her in. "Now, _off to sleep_ with you…" He waved his hand slightly, adding weight to his words through the Force. Within moments, the chattering girl was fast asleep.

"Handy," Aubé sighed, leaning back into Luke's embrace as he placed his hands protectively over her belly. "I hope you remember how to do that at two in the morning when the baby is sick with feeding wind."

Luke grimaced. "Only in an emergency," he said. "Manipulating the minds of our children isn't very Master-like."

"Who said anything about doing it to the baby?" Aubé teased, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. "I was thinking of myself!"

Luke cocked an eyebrow. "You? My dear Bé, I have much more… efficient ways to help _you_ relax!"

"And you'll show me, when?" she purred huskily in his ear, sending a chill down his spine. "I think you'll find I'm rather _resistant_ to your charms…"

Luke smoothed his hands down the front of her thigh, eliciting a shiver from her.

"Is this a _challenge_ Aubé?" he asked, nuzzling her ear.

"Maybe…" She gasped. "But we should tell my parents we won't be down until morning."

"They already know, Bé," Luke assured her as he steered her back to their bedroom. "They already know…"


	36. Chapter 36

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias, Chapter 35 **

_"Real love stories never have endings."  
-- Richard Bach_

***

Kampher was putting the last of the supper dishes into the water basin when Schurke came up from behind her.

"Did Luke get the droid upstairs, Schurke?" she asked.

Instead of replying, Schurke tenderly brushed her thick plait and a few loose hairs aside and kissed the back of her neck. The suggestive, unspoken power behind it caused Kampher to drop the plate she was holding into the soapy mass with a gasp.

"Schurke!"

"What's wrong, Kam?" he asked, feigning innocence as he smoothed her arms down and nibbled on her ear. Kampher, however, wasn't fooled in the slightest.

"Luke and Aubé… "

" …won't be down until the morning," Schurke finished for her, now untying the front of her tunic. "I know how you pregnant Dathorian women are… and Kay'leb and Toa retired an hour ago…"

"That doesn't explain _you_!" Kampher sighed as she molded herself into his body. Freed from the barrier of her over-tunic, Schurke pushed his hands up and under her top shirt, causing her to shiver. "You haven't been this… _energetic_ in months!"

He kissed the hollow of her throat. "Kam," he murmured huskily. "We can continue this conversation… afterwards." With one hand he began to pull at the strings of her skirts. "In our bedroom or right here in the kitchen… but either way…"

Grasping the waist of her skirts, Kampher pulled away, laughing. "By the stars, Schurke Canaille!" She cried, pausing to face him. "What _has_ gotten into you?"

Arms outstretched as if he were herding a recalcitrant grasser, Schurke slowly moved forward. "Well," he grinned. "Unless you want to find out right _here_, I'd suggest you get moving."

After love, Kampher lay contentedly in her husband's arms. She sighed heavily.

"Still tired, Kam?" Schurke asked, playing with a stray lock of white. He knew that the forced bonding she and Toa had performed upon Kay'leb had drained her. To his knowledge, the only other time she had attempted to impress her mind onto an unwilling person had been on Ord Mantel, when in those long ago days they had tried to save their companion Gris. The bonding process had been easier for Toa, as he and Kay already had that intimate connection – but for Kampher, it had been nearly soul shattering.

"Kam?" he whispered softly. "Are you awake?"

Her feather light touch beneath the covers proved to him that she was indeed still awake – perhaps even more so than he initially thought. He kissed her forehead lightly.

"I was right about you Dathorians," he sighed. "Even when you're _not_ expecting, you're insatiable! Luke's going to be walking like a Bantha rider for a month…"

"How do you know I'm _not_ pregnant , Schurke?" Kampher murmured softly, the touches becoming a caress.

Schurke arched an eyebrow, attempting to seem impervious to her attentions.

"Unless you've been sampling someone on the side, a vibro-scalpel and three days of ice on my genitals after Kay was born says otherwise!"

Kampher paused, giggling as Schurke pulled her closer.

"Kam…" he started, not sure how to broach the subject, and with her touch becoming more intimate once again, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Thankfully, Kampher seemed to understand. She brought her hand back out from under the covers.

"Something on your mind, other than taking me like a cairn hound in heat again?" she asked innocently, caressing his cheek.

Schurke sighed. "Toa is taking Kay'leb off world tomorrow. In three weeks, once the new life has settled, Luke will be spiriting away our daughter and grand daughter to the Core, and then on to Naboo…"

"Where we will meet them before the baby is due," Kampher added gently. "But you want to go sooner. Why?"

A part of Schurke longed to end the conversation right now, to allow Kampher to fulfill the unspoken promise of her touch, and yet…

"Luke spoke of starting to train a few students there Kam," he said at last. "And I think we could help him."

"Leave Corellia?" Kampher sighed, tracing a small circle on his chest with her fingertips. "Leave everything we know… again?"

Schurke caught her hand in his own and kissed her palm lightly.

"No," he corrected her gently. "We'll be finishing what we started, Kam. We were born to serve the Force. We are _Jedi Knights_, Kam. As our children will be. As our grandchildren will be."

"And Kay'leb?" Kampher murmured softly, nestling back into his embrace, her fingers delicately returning to his abdomen. "Do you think our son will find his way home?"

Gently, Schurke rolled Kampher on to her back. "He is with the one who loves him Kam," he kissed her, and whispered softly. "Like Aubé and Luke, like you and I… we are _all_ home… we just had to take time to find that out for ourselves…"

"Dove il thou va mai, sono per sempre con la citazione di thee." _Wherever thou go, I am forever with thee _.


	37. Chapter 37

_Once upon a time…_

**The 7th Hymn of Tiresias,**

Epilogue

***

_8 years later, at the new Jedi Training center on Naboo…_

"Auryn! You turdshined son of a rancor! If you _ever_ touch my data pad again, I'll stuff you into the fresher, head first! And I won't stop until you can tell me what uncle Kay ate for dinner last week!"

"It was _Cousin Jacen's idea,_ Pi!"

Luke groaned and covered his head with a pillow. Next to him, Aubé still slept soundly, oblivious to the shouts emanating from the other room. _You would sleep through a planet-wide quake, my dear, _he thought as he reluctantly pulled on his sleep pants. _All the Jedi training in the galaxy couldn't prepare a man for dealing with a teenage daughter…_

Luke had barely pulled the trousers over his hips when the blond, brown eyed missile that was his 7 year old son flew into his arms. "Pay-pa!" he cried. "Pi has been writing gushy love letters instead of doing her lessons again!"

Holding his son close to his heart, Luke nodded in understanding. "Let's go talk to your sister out on the balcony, Auryn," he said softly. "Leave your Ma-mere to sleep."

"She's _not_ sleeping, Pay-pa," Auryn corrected him, whispering in his father's ear. "She's only _pretending_ because Pi will listen to you!"

Luke pursed his lips, then shook his head. "Why don't you go see if first meal is ready, then – and tell Jacen that if he has time to splice into his cousin's data pad, he has time to for extra saber practice. I expect to see some improvement by mid-day. I'll go talk to your sister."

"Yes, Pay-pa!" Auryn cried gleefully, dashing through the narrow passageways of the old monastery.

"What time is it?" came a sleepy mumble from the heap of bedclothes behind him. "Luke, it's barely first light…"

"It's later than you think, Bé," Luke replied good naturedly. "Han and Leia are coming after first meal as a stop over before going on to Hapes..."

"Bit of a detour isn't it? Coruscant to Hapes, via Naboo?"

Luke grabbed a handful of covers, pleased to find that he was fast enough to catch her foot as well, eliciting a squeal and a flurry of kicking feet. He continued, completely  
non-plussed, "Well, if you hadn't seen your eldest in five months, wouldn't you?"

The struggling stopped with a heavy sigh. "Speaking of eldest…"

"I'm going right now," Luke finished with a grin. "But I'll be back for _you_ later…"

He heard the voices long before he actually reached the balcony, and paused. Whoever Pem was speaking to was doing his very best not to be overheard – or even noticed –  
but his Force signature sang in the air, dancing merrily with Pem's.

With great care, Luke looked around the corner of the balustrade, but his caution was for naught, for neither Pemberian nor her young suitor was aware of anything but each other.

Luke had seen the young man before; he was from the village to the east. A native of Naboo, his parents had declined the offer of the Jedi to train their son, despite his evident sensitivity to the Force. And now here he was, hanging off the ledge of the balcony, eyes closed and leaning in for a kiss.

A kiss from Luke's 15 year old daughter…

Stepping into full view, Luke indelicately cleared his throat. With a gasp, Pemberian wheeled around, pulling her dressing gown closed over her rather ample chest while her young man struggled for purchase on the balustrade.

"Pay-pa!" Pem cried, flushing to the roots of her curly brown hair. "I – I – Tobaian was… he was…"

"Coming to join us for first meal, I presume," Luke finished for her dryly as the young man scrabbled over the balcony.

Although Luke's expression was stern, his eyes danced with amusement. It was apparent through the Force that he was utterly besotted with Pem, and she with him, even enough to risk the wrath of a Jedi Master.

Tobaian was dressed in a brown rough jerkin and leggings. His dark hair, long and pulled back into a woven tail, was full of brambles and burs, as if he had crept through the hedgerow to avoid detection. The boy swallowed hard, and offered a speechless, curt nod, not taking his eyes from Luke, even as Pemberian shyly took his hand.

The moment seemed to draw out forever, but in that instant, Luke could see the end results of that simple little kiss. His and Aubé's grand children, their great grand children, and possibly a hundred generations and beyond. In that instant, he was eternal.

With an imperceptible tilt of his head, Luke granted his blessing, as if to say "Next time, use the front door," and returned to the bedroom he shared with his wife.

_Fin_


End file.
